Inheritance
by Bangarrang
Summary: He hasn't said a word in eight years. But then he met her. The only one who could hear what he desperatly wanted to say. But what happends when he learns of his deadly inheritance? Deadly to everyone, but him.
1. Chapter 1

Ok new fan fiction. Hope you like it, think you won't.

Disclaimer-duh I don't own Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Linkin Park, or Fun.

I can't speak. At all. I'm not deaf, there's nothing wrong with my vocal cords. I have this crazy disorder that makes my brain unable to send the signal to my voice box, so I can't speak. It's called Siceforia. I developed this disorder when I was about seven years old. When I developed it, a lot of bad things started happening in my family. My sister, Kairi, has really bad nightmares and I was the only one who could calm her down, by singing or reading to her, but since my voice left nothing can. My dad is a hopeless singer and Kairi doesn't like when he reads to her. My mom died a few months after I got Siceforia, so my dad works full-time. That leaves me to take care of my sister.

I hate this stupid disorder. I have to carry a notepad around to write what I want to say. No one wants to hang around the weirdo mute kid. I'm bullied constantly at school. My sister even gets frustrated with me if I have a lot to say and it takes me a while to write it down. I was going to commit suicide but she saved me...I guess...

It all started on the first day of school. I attend Twi-islands High school (My family is relatively poor and my dad couldn't afford any kind of mute school so I just went to regular public school). Homeroom was pretty normal. Sora Fooser was flirting with my sister, Riku Matachi was reading and avoiding fangirl drool, I was beating out 'Burn it down' by Linkin Park on my desk with my lucky drumsticks when the door opened and a late student walked in. I had never seen her before. This petite girl had a mix of tan and pale skin, boyishly cut black hair and insane, wide blue eyes.

"Ah, our new student has arrived!" our homeroom teacher, Vexen, announced with a flourish.

"This is Xion Strife. Don't bully her! Miss Strife, please take a seat next to hm..." then he started talking to himself. "Fooser? No...bad influence...Kasay? No...very bad influence...oh I know!" he put a hand on Xion's shoulder and steered her to the back row. He stopped at the empty seat next to me.

"Sit next to Fair! Yes!" he reached down and took my drumsticks. "Maybe you can teach him he is a student, not Keith Moon" I started scribbling on my notepad and when I was done I shoved the page at him.

'Who the heck is Keith Moon?' he read. Vexen looked insulted. "Only the most talented drummer of my time!"

'I didn't know they had drums in the Middle Ages.' I wrote.

The old teacher flared his nostrils. "That's it, Fair! You've got a weeks worth detention! Just because you're mute doesn't mean you can smart-mouth me!"

'If I can't talk, how is it smart-mouthing? It isn't coming out of my mouth.'

Vexen turned this very funny shade of red, and I thought he was gonna stab me with one of my own drumsticks, but then I was literally saved by the bell. Everyone stood and started walking out.

"Here." he handed me my drumsticks "Show her around." Vexen ordered in a tight voice, as if he was trying to keep the upcoming explosion under control. I felt really sorry for his next class.

Xion and I walked out. I handed her my schedule to compare to hers. We actually had all the same classes! On our way to math, she started a conversation.

"What's your name?" she asked

'Roxas Fair' I wrote

"So...uh...you can't talk?" she asked, not looking at me.

'Yeah, I have a disorder.'

She read my note and just said "Oh."

'I know I'm a freak. But don't worry, your only stuck with me for a day.'

Xion looked over the paper and her eyes widened. "I-I don't think your a freak! I mean...it's not your fault you can't talk! It's your brain's fault!"

I raised an eyebrow at her.

" Well, that sounded kinda stupid. Um..."

'Your funny.'

"Is that a compliment?" she looked over at me.

I blushed 'I guess..'

Xion laughed. "This conversation is funny!"

'Most conversations with me are.'

"Is that because you write what you want to say or are you just conceited?"

'Ha ha. It's because I write what I want to say.'

"Well I that. You don't just randomly blurt out stuff or interrupt. And what you write is really intelligent."

'I like how you speak your mind'

And that's how we became friends.

When lunch rolled around I went to the table in the back of the cafeteria as always, but for the first time in a long time I wasn't the only one there. Xion and I talked (well...she talked I wrote) about everything. The annoying kids here, the blood-thirsty teachers, the killer PE classes...it was pretty fun until Seifer and his gang made an appearance.

"Yo, Chatterbox!" called Seifer, smirking at me. I glared at him.

"So, you still mute?" he asked, I glared even harder.

"Well, are ya?" if looks could kill, Seifer would be six feet under.

"Answer me!" he growled. When I did nothing, he shoved me to the floor. I hit my head hard against the wall. Seifer walked over hoisted me up my my shirt collar with one hand and punched me in the face with the other, sending me back to the floor. He drove his boot into my gut, depriving my body of air.

"The next time I ask a question, you'd better answer it." he warned

"You were lucky this time, y'know?" huffed his buff and brainless right-hand man, Rai.

Fuu didn't say anything. She went out with my cosin, Ventus, so she didn't completely support my torment. She didn't do anything, probably scared of Seifer.

The trio walked away and Xion rushed over. "Roxas! Are you alright?" I struggled to sit up.

"Do you need a nurse?" I shook my head and motioned for my notebook.

'No. I'll be fine. This stuff happens all the time. Please get me some napkins.' it took her a while to read my handwriting, my hands had shaken so bad when I wrote the message.

"But...Roxas..." I shook my head. She wanted to tell the teachers about this, and was probably considering doing that, but she didn't. Just helped me get cleaned up. We rushed to our next class.

"So, you were hanging out with that new girl, uh...Simone?" Kairi asked as we walked home from school.

'Her name is Xion.' I informed her. Kairi looked at my writing then said "Zione?"

I rolled my eyes and wrote the pronunciation.

"Oohhh, XI-on! So what's she like? She seemed kinda emo. Not really who you would really hang out with."

I sighed 'She isn't emo. And how would you know who I would hang out with? It's like when we get to school, you don't know me anymore!'

Now SHE sighed "Sorry, Roxas. But I'm so busy with my friends and stuff that I...forget.."

'No, you just don't want to be seen with the mute freak with the stupid notepad' I wrote on said notepad.

"Roxas! You know that's not true!"

Whatever. We walked in silence and then Kairi must've thought she didn't tick me off enough because then she said: "I still think Shino is emo."

'XION! AND SHE'S NOT EMO!"

"Yeah, I think she is."

We were finally home. I went to my room and yanked my pillow off the bed. There, gleaming on the sheet, was the knife. I had stashed it there this morning. I wasn't nervous. All that torture about not being able to talk, the pain of loosing my mother to some stupid gang, everything, was about to come to an end.

I wrapped my hand around the metal necklace I always wore. Shaped like a small ninja throwing star, it was my favorite little trinket. Given to me by my dad, when he returned from some war he fought, he said he had it on the entire time he was fighting and he had come out fine.

A little ironic, I thought. I pressed the cold blade to my wrist, and started sliding it across the skin...

"Some nights I wish that it all would end, cuz I could use some friends for a change." my phone went off.

Wow...my attempt at suicide interrupted by Nate Ruess.

I looked at the screen. I had a text from Xion.

Hey Roxy wats up?

I sighed and texted back: nothing.

Then I thought I heard an F chord strummed outside my door. Then a few seconds later...

O rly...

Then the door swung open and Xion swooped in.

And saw me holding a knife in my hand.

Ok that's it. Cut me some slack on the spelling and grammar, I'm trying to write this stupid thing on an iPod app, I got flamed by like 2 people on my last story because of it. Also 'Siceforia' (sis-uh-for-ee-uh) is a completely made-up disorder.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright chapter 2

I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Paralyzed by Finger Eleven or anything else

"R-Roxas?" Xion stuttered, staring at the knife I clutched in my hand. She walked towards me, I stepped back. My left wrist was bleeding from the gash I'd given myself only minutes ago.

"Were...were you going to...?" I put down my phone, but kept the knife in my hand and leaned over the book used for my communication and wrote a message for her.

'Yes, but you stopped me.'

"Why?"

'What you saw today happens all the time. My mom was killed by a gang when I was seven. You would too.'

"Please don't do this, Roxas." she begged and reached for the knife, but I jerked it away from her.

'No, I will not go through the pain of everyday again!'

Xion looked at me sadly after reading my note.

"Roxas, I want to show you something." she said and took a step towards me. She pulled her sleeves up, exposing her forearms. I drew my breath in sharply at what I saw: scars. Some white and short, but most were long and brown.

With shaking hands I put down the knife, picked up my notebook and hastily wrote 'Xion, what did you do?'

"Isn't is obvious? I used to cut myself. My parents found out, but they knew if they tried anything, I would commit suicide." she put her hand on my shoulder. "Roxas...please don't do this. The pain you are feeling right now is absolutely nothing compared to what your family will go through if you kill yourself."

'How do you know?' I asked.

She chewed her bottom lip, and looked down. "M-my sister...she committed suicide when I was ten. That was the worst pain I have ever felt."

Then she looked up at me. I probably looked like an anime character, my eyes were so wide.

"And you will never be beat up or messed with again."

I raised an eyebrow to show I didn't know what she meant.

"Because, I will always protect you. As long as you always protect me. Deal?"

She held out her hand. I stared at it for an eternity. Then, finally, I extended my arm to grasp her hand.

Xion helped me bandage my wrist, I invited her to dinner. She giggled and asked what we were having.

'Eh, whatever my dad brings home'

She jumped up and down, clapping. "Yay! I love random takeout!" I grinned, she was hilarious.

'He should be here in about five minutes.' I took her to the living room, where Kairi was doing homework.

"Hello, lovebirds!" she sang when we walked in. I gave her an evil look and flicked her in the forehead, then started scribbling furiously on my book. Xion was reading over my shoulder. Halfway through my angry paragraph, Xion cocked her head to the side and commented: "Why don't you just learn sign language?" I turned the page and wrote 'Because Kairi is too lazy to learn sign language.' Kairi looked over at what I wrote and said "It's true. We tried."

I finished my other page and showed it to Kairi. Her mouth and eyes got wide at the same time, and I could tell she was about to scream at me when the door swung open and a voice yelled "Kids! I'm home!"

"Dad!" squealed my sister and ran to hug him. We didn't see our father much, because of his work, so we acted like little kids when he got home. I stood and beamed as my dad walked over and mussed my hair. Then he spoted Xion and went into a state of shock.

For about two seconds.

He hugged Xion tightly, almost crushing the small girl. "Hey, sweetie! It's been forever since I'v seen you! I'm sorry, but I'm gonna hafta murder your dad when I see him for not telling me you guys moved back!"

'You know Xion?' I wrote. Dad scanned the page and replied "Yeah! When you were like four Xion and her family lived here! You two never left each other's side! It was so cute!" then he saw our confused faces and smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Um...but I guess you two wouldn't remember that, huh?" we shook our heads. Then Kairi's stomach growled.

"I think thats my cue to make dinner. What do you guys want?"

"Hm...pizza!" cheered Kairi. I nodded.

"Xion, what do you want?"

My friend looked at the floor "Pizza's good, Mr. Fair."

Dad stared at her for a second, then busted out laughing "Ha ha ha! Whoo...'mr'! Heh yeah, right! Just call me Zack!" he was still laughing as he walked into the kitchen to warm up some left over pizza.

"Your dad is awesome." Xion said, in awe. I nodded. My dad may be thirty seven, but really he has a ten year old's brain. Hyper and goofy, sometimes I wonder if he's not really Sora's dad. Both with spiky hair and appetites that rivaled Goku's, they are one in the same. I don't look anything like mom either. So who knows who I belong to?

It took dad an hour to get dinner ready. He burnt the pizza twice and on the second time actually caught the microwave on fire. After a few mild burns and the in-case-of-Sora closet being opened for a fire extinguisher, we were sitting in front of the TV eating cold pizza.

Xion's POV

"Can I move in with you guys? Your family is AWESOME!" I exclaimed.

"Yes! Now which kid to trade for you..." Zack examined Kairi and Roxas. They shot daggers in his direction and he put his hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding, kids! Gosh, take a joke..." then random subject change! "So how was school?"

"Great!" Kairi peeped "I didn't fail my math test! I gotta D!" Zack high fived her "And we are building a sculpture for the front of the school! Oh and Sora asked me to the Equinox Ball!"

"Is he driving?" asked their father

"Dad, get real! Sora flunked his driving test like five times!"

Zack and Roxas laughed (Roxas silently, of course) and I marveled at him.

Was this the same boy who had slashed open his wrist, trying to kill himself, only twenty minutes ago? Or was he putting on an act for me?

Then my phone rang, scaring me from my deep thought.

"I'm not paralyzed but I seem to be struck by you, I wanna make you move, because your-"

"Hello?" I interrupted the song by opening the phone. "Oh hi, dad."

"Xion Aeridryth Strife!" my dad growled into his end of the phone "Where the heck are you?!"

"I'm sorry, dad! Roxas invited me to dinner then Zack-I mean Mr. Fair-"

"Wait, Zack? Zack Fair?"

"Uh...yes?"

"And Roxas?"

"Yeah..."

"Give Zack the phone please, Xion." he said

"Ok." then I turned to Zack "It's for you."

"You are speaking to the awsomest person ever,"

"No, I'm talking to Zack Fair." I 'accidentally' put it on speaker.

"Cloud?"

"Yeah. Now are you adopting my child?"

"Yes! You can have uh...Kairi! Yeah! Roxas looks more like you though, so maybe..."

"Zack! I was kidding! *sigh* If you don't mind, can she stay over? Tifa is dragging me to Destiny Islands to buy paint..."

"Yeah! Oh I'v got a date tonight," at that point Roxas and Kairi dropped their jaws. "So do you mind if she's alone with Kairi and Roxas for an hour or two?"

"You? On a date?" my dad sounded as surprised as Kairi and Roxas looked.

"Yeah..." Zack sounded almost...guilty.

"Cloud! Get in the car!" I heard someone (probably my mother) yell.

"Coming...Tifa!" he called

"Gotta go."

"Bye!" Zack waved as if dad was in the room with us.

"Is it just me or did Tifa sound kinda manly?" he asked

Zack closed my phone and gave it back to me.

"D-dad?" stuttered Kairi. Roxas started writing for his life and when he was done he showed it to his dad a shocked, upset look on his face.

"Yes I know, Rox, but you didn't let me explain. My friends say I'v been working too hard and need to get out more."

A sign that said "Yeah, right!" seemed to flash above Kairi and Roxas.

"So, they set me up on a blind date. It's only one time. Ok?"

They nodded. "Good. Now, Roxas is the oldest, so he is in charge." Kairi and I groaned, Roxas smirked at us.

"No groaning! Roxas, don't let Kairi in the kitchen. Xion, don't let Roxas cuss Kairi out on paper. Kairi, don't let Xion and Roxas make out. Or be alone in a room."

All the blood in my entire body went to my face and Roxas slammed his head on the coffee table.

"Love you, bye guys." Zack said then walked out the door.

"Got any 3's?" I asked Roxas. He shook his head and pointed to the "Go fish" pile. I sighed and took one. Roxas turned to Kairi and held up five fingers.

"How do you do it?" she demanded, handing over the card. Roxas smiled mischievously and put it with his other five card.

"Yo, rugrats!" a voice yelled, and the door flew open. Zack sauntered in and beamed at us.

"Hi dad, how was your date?" Kairi asked

Zack sighed and put his hands behind his head and grinned sheepishly "Turns out my good-for-nothing-friends set me up on a date with Axel Morearty. Here's how it went:" and he went on telling about how, on his way out, Axel tripped and four or five lighters fell out of his jacket. And so on and so forth.

"Oh and Xion," he turned to me "Your dad wasn't buying paint. He was driving Axel to the restaurant. Your 'mom' was actually Axel!"

"Does Xion still get stay over?" Kairi asked hopefully.

"Yeah! She can sleep with Roxas!" he said excitedly. Roxas and I stared at him. "I'm kidding! Gosh take a joke! Xion, you can sleep on the floor. Trust me, you do not want to sleep on the couch."

Roxas blinked, then picked up his notebook and wrote 'No, she can sleep in my bed. I'll sleep on the floor.'

"Th-thank you, Roxas."

He smiled, then Zack bellowed "Bed time Squirtles!" I borrowed a pair of Kairi's pajamas and went into Roxas' room.

Just as he was taking his shirt off.

Roxas' POV

I started taking off my shirt when I heard a noise like a mouse being strangled behind me. I turned and saw Xion standing in the doorway staring at me. A very long, awkward silence later Xion blushed and said "Um..." then covered her eyes with her hands I put my pajama shirt and lead her to the bed, her eyes still closed.

"Roxas?" I directed her to sit on the bed, knelt in front of then pulled her hands away from her face.

Xion's POV

He pulled my hands away from my face. I opened my eyes to see Roxas smiling sweetly. I was lost in his bright blue eyes for eight minutes, when he finally stood and walked to the living room to grab his notepad. I was a little sad when he left, then shook my head to clear those thoughts. Roxas came back in and sat on the floor, where he would sleep, and I tossed a pillow and blanket to him. He nodded in thanks.

I laid down and closed my eyes.

A few minutes later I heard Roxas get up. He walked over to the bed and placed something by my hand, which was curled next to my head, and carefully padded over to his place on the floor. I waited until his breathing was even and slow. Then I opened my eyes and looked at the small white rectangle in front of my face.

A note. In the weak light of his lamp I made out the words.

'Xion, you saved my life. I will always be by your side. You will never feel alone again.'

There it is.

FIGHT-thank you very much, and who knows, I will have to look it up!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you everybody who reviewed and followed my story! Um...well here's chapter 3.

Disclaimer I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the breakfast items in this chapter

I yawned and opened my eyes. My first thought was "Why am I on the floor...?" then I remembered Xion was occupying my bed. I looked at my watch, which read 5:00, then over at her, sleeping peacefully. I was noticing she slept with her mouth open slightly when she mumbled "Cut it out Lea..." then she rolled over with an irked expression.

I smiled a little and thought "She's kinda cute." then "Wait! I didn't mean that!" I shook my head and got dressed. I unwrapped my wrist, thinking it would be ok by then. I was wrong. I tried flexing my wrist to get the stiff feeling out of it, but when I did it started bleeding again. I quickly wrapped it back up and put a checkered cuff around the bandage to avoid weird looks at school, then walked into the kitchen. Dad was gone by now, of course. I quickly ate a bowl of Frosted Flakes and walked into Kairi's room. I poked her relentlessly until she woke up and yelled at me.

I escaped into my room before she could throw her broken alarm clock. Contrast to Kairi's awakening, I shook Xion gently to bring her from sleep. Her eyelids fluttered open and she yawned widely.

"Morning, Roxas" she smiled. I wrote out a greeting of my own and showed her. 'Good morning, Xion. Hope you slept well.'

"I did, thanks." she got up and stretched. We walked into the kitchen. Kairi was already in there. She growled at me then took an angry bite of Pop-tart.

Xion poured herself some cereal then sat down. Kairi looked at her then her eyes bugged.

"Xion! What are you going to wear to school?!" Xion looked down at her borrowed pajamas. "Oh uh...I was just gonna wear what I wore yesterday..."

Kairi gasped "No! I will not stand by and watch a friend repeat her outfit! Come! I will find you something to wear!" forgetting about her rude awakening in the midsts of Xion's fashion crisis, Kairi drags my friend to her room.

A few minutes later the girls return. I was pretty surprised Xion escaped without any pink or a skirt on. She was wearing dark skinny jeans and a purple tank top. She clutched her arms to her sides.

"Xi? Why're you holding your arms like that?" asked Kairi.

Xion's face paled "Um...I'm a little self conscious...and cold."

"Pa-leez! I wish I looked like you!" I came to Xion's rescue, walking over to her and giving her my jacket. She pulled it around herself. Beside her, Kairi grinned.

"Aw! Aren't you two sweet?" she purred. Xion and I sweat dropped.

We finally got out of the house and were walking to school.

"Yo, Mute!" someone yelled. I rolled my eyes and kept walking. Then something darted in front of me. Something with black hair.

"Gone deaf too?" Vanitas Kazay asked. I glared at him and was about to flip the blackette off, when Xion stepped between us.

"Shoo fly, don't bother us!" she said, flicking her wrist."And if your gonna be a smartass you better go to collage. Cuz right now, your just an ass!"

Vanitas seemed shocked. No one had ever stood up to him. I was surprised too.

"Your the new girl, right?" he stepped close to her.

"Uh...yes.." she stepped back, looking a little scared by his sudden mood change.

Kairi started walking away. She had gone out with him a year ago and he...abused her. She still can't look at him.

Vanitas put his hand on the back of Xion's neck. There was no way I was going to let him touch her. I pushed Xion out of the way and punched him in the face. He fell to the ground and looked up at me, his nose bleeding.

The awful boy stood and, pinching his nose, hissed "When you decide to leave Mute in a ditch, call me."

I looked at Xion and asked if she was ok. She nodded "He scared me. Hey, where's Kairi?"

'She...has some issues with Vanitas.' I replied.

"Oh..." then she smiled "Looks like I don't have to worry!"

I looked at her, very confused.

"You protected me, like you promised. Which means your also not going to try to kill yourself again!" I had no idea where she got that logic, but whatever. I nodded and wrote 'And you protected me. So you aren't going to cut yourself anymore!'

We smiled at each other.

Finally.

Two months later.

Roxas where were u today?-X

home-R

Y?-X

I don't want 2 talk about it over txt-R

Then cum ovr 2 my house-X

B there n 5 minutes-R

I slid my phone into the pocket of my black jeans, grabbed my notebook and walked into the living room.

My dad was sitting on the couch, watching TV. His way of coping, I suppose.

"Xion's?" he asked when I put my hand on the door knob. I nodded.

Dressed in all black, I skateboarded to Xion's house. The wheels thundered over gold and red leaves. The leaves were beautiful, but the second I looked back up, something hiding in the colors stopped my front wheels. I pitched forward, scraping my face and hands.

I was severely scratched up, blood poured out of the wounds.

But I felt nothing.

I pulled myself up and walked the rest of the way. I finally got to her house and knocked on the door,but all I found was a locked door. So I walked around until I was under her window and tossed pebbles at the glass until she answered. Upon seeing me, she waved. But then she noticed my wounds. Xion motioned for me to walk back around to the front door.

She took one look at me and pushed me into the kitchen. She commanded I sit on the kitchen counter, I felt like a little kid.

"What happened to you, Roxas?" she asked while cleaning bits of gravel and dirt from my face. 'Fell off my skateboard.'

"Ok...then why weren't you at school today?"

I sighed and wrote 'It's the anniversary of my mother's death.'

"Oh." she dabbed my cheek with rubbing alcohol, looking sad. Then confused. "Why was Kairi at school?"

'She pretends everything's normal.'

"Roxas..." her voice trailed away. She stuck a big bandage on my palm. "H-how did your mom die?" Xion looked up at me with wide eyes, as of she was afraid I would get angry.

I took a deep breath, picked up my pen and started writing, relieving memories.

'A long time ago, my dad worked for a group called SOLDIER. An elite military organization.'

_A man with wild black hair bounds down the trail, his seven-year-old daughter on his shoulders. A blonde boy of the same age clings to the hand of his auburn haired mother. The boy holds an orange notebook in his other hand._

'Another group, called AVALANCHE, wanted my dad out of SOLDIER. Because he was a big threat.'

_"I'm gonna teach Kairi how to climb a tree!" yelled the man gleefully. "Please be careful, Zack!" called the woman, a little nervous._

'They knew the only way was to go after my mom, so they sent warnings. If he didn't quit SOLDIER they would kill my mother.'

_The boy hears a twig snap. He looks to his right and sees a man crouching the brush beside them. The man smiles and holds his finger to his lips, warning the boy to not alert his family. The man raises something small and black. The boy's eyes widen as he realizes what it is:_

_A gun._

'She told him not to worry about her, that he should just keep working.'

_The man points the gun at his mother and fires. She falls to the ground. The boy's father, upon hearing the gunshot, runs over. He sees his wife on the ground and his son standing over her in a state of shock. "Kairi! Stay there! Don't look!" _

_'Then, after about a month, they sent an assassin.'_

_The man kneels next to his dying love. He yanks out his cellphone and is about to dial 911. The woman reaches up and closes the phone, shaking her head. "No, Zack. They won't be her in time." the man in the bush ruffles the little boy's hair and walks away. "Aerith, no! Your not gonna die! The ambulance will come and your going to get better!" he insists "Zack, take care of the kids." she whispers "Roxas..." she looks at her son "I love you darling."_

'My mother died right in front of me.'

_The woman smiles softly at the two, then closes her eyes. "Aerith! Aerith! No! You can't die I need you! I need..." he brakes into sobs. The boy struggles to breathe. Paralyzed._

Xion was shocked. I didn't have to wait for the sympathy. It wouldn't come. Xion knew me well enough to know I hated it.

"Do you want to go to her grave?" I looked at her. "Um I mean...!"

I put my hand up to stop her. Then wrote 'No that's a good idea. Let's go.' I had never gone to my mother's grave before, I don't know why.

I was scared of the memories, I guess.

I know the time skip is weird but I thought I should skip ahead to when they are more comfortable around each other.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it's been like a week, uh...school is stressing me out and I kept changing things in the chapter.

Quick warning: this chapter is kinda fluffy

Chapter 4

Xion handed me an orange tulip, with the root still attached. We walked to the cemetery because she was afraid I would fall off my skateboard again.

I pushed the heavy, rusted gate open and we padded down the small sidewalk. Near the back we came to an elegant white marble gravestone. I knelt down and carefully planted the tulip. I had a distinct memory that my mother loved flowers and sold them for a career. The engraving on the marker even read "Rest in peace, my flower girl."

I stood back up and Xion put her hand on my shoulder.

Xion's POV

Roxas stood up, his head bowed. Looking at his face, I saw he was crying. I put my hand on his shoulder. Then he took that hand in his and started walking away.

"Where are we going?" I asked. He raised his index finger to tell me to be quiet.

We walked back into town, to the plaza. Roxas pulled me through the double doors of the station tower. We arrived at a metal panel on the wall with a slit down the middle. Roxas pushed a thumb-size button next to it. The metal parted to expose a tiny space. We climbed in to the minuscule elevator.

I turned my head to look at my friend and found him trying to do the same thing. We were so close our foreheads touched. Roxas turned bright red and I'm pretty sure the shade of my face matched. I laughed nervously and just as I was worried we were stuck that way, the doors opened.

I tumbled out and almost fell off a ledge, but Roxas caught me. I blushed (AGAIN! What's wrong with me?!) and he led me around a corner. We sat down on the ledge and he motioned for me to look down.

Below us was the entire town. I could see the little café I worked in, the dress shop, the skate store. Everything. But the best view was the sunset. Decorated with reds and oranges. The first few stars decorating the purple streak at the top.

"Roxas...this is beautiful..." I whispered.

I didn't notice him smiling for the first time that day.

Roxas' POV

"Roxas...this is beautiful..." she whispered in awe. Her face was dyed red from the sun, I couldn't help but smile.

XxX

Xion yawned. It was very late and we were still at the clock tower. We had talked (oh you know what I mean!) for three hours. She laid her head on my shoulder and was soon asleep. I picked her up in my arms and carried her back to her house.

XxX

Her parents weren't home, so I unlocked the door using the key in Xion's pocket, then took her to her bedroom. I laid the raven haired girl on her blue bedspread, and looked at her a last time. Then I felt like I stalker so I tiptoed out.

I could barley stay awake the way home. When I finally arrived at my apartment, I walked in to find my dad asleep on the couch. Kairi was sitting in the kitchen reading a magazine.

"Welcome back." she greeted without looking at me. Waving was useless so I ignored her and went to bed.

XxX

The next day was incredibly suckish. I fought my daily battle with Vexen about drumming in homeroom, burned a batch of cookies in Home Ec, got hit in the face by a basketball (three times...) in PE, and spilled bright orange paint on myself in Art. When the bell finally rang, I sprinted out, eager to get home. Then almost died when I realized I had to go to work. Xion caught up to me and asked what was wrong.

'Incredibly long day at school, now I gotta go to work.'

"Oh, I'm sorry, Roxas." she hugged me, then turned red and backed away. "I-I uh..." she stuttered. I shook my head and smiled slightly.

Xion walked me to the music store, where I work, and even bought some guitar strings before she left.

"That your girl?" my boss, a lazy-I mean laid back guy named Demyx, asked. I blushed like Xion and wrote 'No! We're just friends!' he laughed and said "Ok whatever, dude." then returned to playing his favorite instrument, a blue sitar.

A long while later he called over to me

"Hey, Rox." I turned and jerked my head.

"Me, Axel, Marly, and Zexy are throwin' a party this Friday."

Great, another party to miss out on.

"You wanna come?" I looked at him with wide eyes, not believing what I heard. Demyx, a collage kid, was asking me to come to one of his legendary parties?

"You can bring that girl of yours..." he said. I nodded so hard I thought my head was going to fly off. Then I quickly wrote 'Who else will be there?'

After a long time he replied "Uh...Sora Fooser, Larxene Sparks, this new guy in town named Ventus Waywind, your sister, Riku Tamachi, these two awesome dudes from Radiant Garden Lea Enfernus, and Isa Wulf..." after a random silence he said "It's closing time, you'd better get home." I started towards the door.

"See ya later!" he called.

~two hours later~

"Zack Fair totally just pwned all your faces!" my dad yelled at the top of his lungs jumping up. I banged my head on the wall behind me and Kairi facepalmed. Xion laughed at our embarrassment.

"I give up!" yelled Kairi, throwing her cards down (we play a lot of cards games in this family, get over it.)

"Me too." agreed Xion, mimicking her movements.

Then the phone rang. My dad pounced on it and answered "Fair residents, awesomest person ever speaking."

"Are you gonna answer the phone like that every time I call you?" I heard someone say

"Yes I am, Cloudy." I could practically hear Cloud facepalm on the other end of the line.

"Well can you send Xion home?"

"Aw! But she's so much fun!" my dad pouted "Can't you take Kairi?"

"No. Tifa wouldn't know what to do with such a girly girl."

"Hey!" yelled Kairi. We all ignored her.

"How bout Roxas? He's slightly less girly."

Kairi and Xion laughed at me and I tried to set my dad's ears on fire with my eyes.

"No...Tifa likes having a daughter. But I'll happily adopt Roxas too."

"No way! If we can't keep Xion then she's the only one your getting! We'll send her home." then he abruptly hung up.

"Roxas, take Xion home," he instructed "It's dangerous at night." I nodded and we grabbed our jackets.

XxX

"It's freezing!" Xion shivered. I laughed at her inwardly and then wrote 'Well it is October.'

"October. That means Halloween. What are you gonna be?" she wondered looking sideways at me.

I shrugged. 'I'm probably just going to stay home and hand candy out to the ankle biters.'

She snickered and said "You have to dress up! I'll help you!" *puppy dog eyes* I sighed and nodded in defeat.

"Yay!" she cheered. I smiled at her childishness

A/N that's a real word, I looked it up.

Then I heard a 'thwip!' and something hard connected with the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. Xion helped me up and we looked for the projectile.

Finally, we found it: a rock, about the size of her fist. And wrapped around the rock was a small piece of paper, secured with a rubber band.

I pulled it off and read the note, Xion leaned over my shoulder.

All the blood in my body went to my toes.

Written on the paper, in sharp messy letters, were the words;

"An AVALANCHE can kill a SOLDIER in two seconds."

It was a code. An obvious one, but that was probably the point.

AVALANCHE was after me. Why? I'm not sure, my dad had once said the members of SOLDIER were super-humans. Did that mean I had those genes? I knew they could be passed to one offspring of a member. But...the chance of those genes actually being passed down was one in a million. Then I remembered that the mark of those genes was a birth defect. The worse the defect, the stronger the power.

I gasped in realization. Xion looked worried "W-what? What does it say?"

I handed her the note, she read it and shock flooded her eyes.

"B-but why would they be after you? You aren't a part of-" I put my hand over her mouth and shook my head.

We ran the rest of the way to her house. When we got there, she tried to get some answers out of me but I wouldn't budge. Then she tried to get me to stay just in case somebody was planning to carry out my 'assassination' tonight. But I declined, wanting to go home and get answers from my dad.

After dropping her off, I pulled my hood up to conceal my conspicuous spikes. Sprinting down the road, I wondered if I would make it home. Every shadow, every sound could be a trained killer, coming after me.

'I should've stayed with Xion.' I thought. After what seemed like a million miles of running, I was home.

Kairi's POV.

I was watching TV with my dad when Roxas bursted in. He collapsed on the floor, panting. We rushed over to him and asked if he was ok. He looked up at us and wrote something down, then showed us the page.

'Dad, I need to talk to you.' his expression was very serious.

Dad turned to me and pointed toward my room. "Go hang out in your room."

I pouted and tried to change his mind, to no avail.

Roxas' POV

'Dad, do I have SOLDIER genes?' I asked. He looked kinda nervous.

"Yes...wait why do you want to know this?"

I picked my next words carefully.

'Well I'v noticed I'm getting stronger and faster, and birth defects signal power and mines pretty big. So I was kind of worried.'

"Oh." he looked relieved for some reason.

Laying in bed, later that night, I questioned the air. What if AVALANCHE wanted to completely wipe out the SOLDIER race? Would they know Kairi didn't get the genes? Now that I know I'm a SOLDIER, would the effects become stronger?

These questions haunted me until the moon was above my bed.

Somehow, I managed to sleep.

Well that's it for chapter 4. I was having a Final Fantasy fandom when I wrote this so...yeah


	5. Chapter 5

Ok! I just watched Advent Children so I am pumped! Sorry I haven't updated in a few days, basketball tryouts are murdering me! I hope I make the team...But we are not here to talk about my sports dreams.

Disclaimer-I do not own KH FF or Sweet Frog.

Chapter 5

Roxas~

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and into the kitchen. Kairi and my dad were already in there. I ate as quickly as I could, grabbed my backpack and flew out the door.

Unfortunately, Xion was standing outside.

"Ok spill it, Roxas."

'How did you get up here?' I asked. We began walking down the stairs. At the bottom, she replied "Your doorman let me in."

As we passed the front desk, I shot a dirty look at our doorman, Mac.

**A/N I asked my friend to think of a random man's name and that's what she said (I'm pretty sure that's her crush's name).**

Xion questioned me relentlessly for two blocks. Once my ears started bleeding, I decided to tell her. We were gonna be late anyways. I put my hands on her shoulders and drove her into an ally.

I told her everything, not holding back. She would hate me if I did. So I explained every detail. The Jenova cells inside my body. The people that wanted every last one of us dead. The incredible danger I was put in by just being.

Xion's eyes grew to the size of a munny piece.

"I...wow." was all she could say.

Then it seemed something dawned on her. She gasped and clutched my shoulders.

"Roxas! Do you know what this means?!" she was...exited.

I shook my head, a little scared she'd gone crazy...er.

"It means..." she paused, as if wanting me to fill in the blank.

"You have the power to defeat AVALANCHE! You can avenge your mom!"

I blinked.

Xion was right!

We ran to school, energized by this new revelation. By the time we made it to school, it was already second period. Good thing the teacher, Mr. Xigbar, couldn't care less if we'e there or not.

XxX

I was fairly happy the next few days. Then my life got difficult again on Friday.

Xion and I walked to school together. She talked about the party and I occasionally put in a word or two.

We were about a block from school when we passed a clump of crying bushes.

Wait.

I grabbed Xion's arm and pointed at the bushes. She looked at me, then crept toward the shrubbery. She reached into the leaves and parted them.

Sitting there, his head in his hands, was Sora.

He looked up at us, then plastered a giant fake smile on his face.

"Oh hey guys! I...dropped my contact lens! Yeah! Can you two help me find it?" he tried, but his soaked face and puffy eyes told a totally different story We each grabbed one of his arms and yanked him up, possibly dislocating both shoulders.

"Ok Sora. Seriously what's wrong?" Xion demanded. The brunette parted his lips slightly, as if to say something. Then he looked at me and seemed stunned.

Then he just lost it completely.

Tears streamed freely down his face. "I'm sorry!" he screamed and sprinted down the street.

"What was that?" asked Xion, cocking her head to the side.

'I...have no idea.' I replied.

The school day went by slowly, probably because we wanted it to be over so we could get to the party.

After seven hours of pure torture, Xion and I ran out. We had a few hours to kill until the party, so we hung out at Xion's house. Suddenly my phone rang.

It was Demyx. I guess he forgot I can't really answer it. So I handed the phone to Xion.

"Hi, Demyx." she sighed

"Yo!" the energetic blonde yelped "Roxy, are you just now going through puberty? Cuz uh...you sound like a girl."

I slammed the heel of my hand on my forehead.

"I am a girl Demyx! This isn't Ro-"

"Wait, WHAT?!" he shouted, almost deafening us both, "I had no idea! Wow...wait aren't you dating that girl uh...Xion?"

He is incredibly stupid-I mean smartly challenged.

"I am Xion! Roxas can't talk, so he can't answer the phone!"

"Ohhh! I get it! Anywho, I forgot to tell you guys: bring your swimsuits. Cuz we're gonna be swimming."

Xion went pale, then tried to recover "G-great! I uh...can't wait! Bye." she hung up and said to me "Go get your swimsuit and meet me back here. Ok?"

She still seemed nervous, I wasn't sure why.

I shrugged it off and skateboarded back to my house.

XxX

The boy sat on his bed and stared numbly at the wall.

He had to kill her.

Suddenly, he was pulled into a flashback.

"No! Let me kill Roxas! He has the Jenova cells, I know it! Kairi isn't nearly as strong as him! A-and he's got a huge birth defect! It's gotta be him!" he screamed, trying desperately to convince them.

"I'm sorry, kid, but we can't take any chances." a man with layered brown hair covered in an old camo bandana grumbled.

"Please just let me bring back Roxas! Y-you can test him to see if he has them! Kairi just couldn't!" the boy sobbed. The man simply shook his head, then disappeared into the darkness.

Back in the present, the boy began looking for the weapon.

A few minutes of searching went by and he found it, much to his dismay.

He tucked the minuscule gun into his size-ginormas shoe and began his slow trudge to Demyx's house.

XxX

Roxas~

I stepped into Xion's house, dressed in my swim trunks. I knocked on the table to inform her I was back.

She padded into the living room and smiled at me. She had a blue flannel shirt over her black bikini, and black high tops.

She grinned at poked me in the stomach. "You been working out?" she flirted jokingly. I smiled. Then we both heard a loud "Ng!" we looked at each other in alarm, then ran downstairs to their den.

**C/A (character note) They used their den as a gym. Weights and random sparring weapons were always strewn across the floor. I had never seen Xion actually go down there, other than to get something to hit me with.**

We turned the corner into the den. And almost got hit by Xion's mother.

Tifa flew past us, turned and launched off the wall back to Cloud, who was standing in the middle of the room. He tried to sidestep but Tifa grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to the ground with her. The chestnut-haired woman jumped up, took his wrist and flipped Cloud over her head.

"Mom...?" Xion asked, obviously embarrassed by her parent's behavior.

"Oh hi, ho-ah!" Cloud took the opportunity while she was distracted to kick Tifa's legs out from under her. Cloud pounced. On the ground, he twisted her arm behind her back and buried his elbow in her back, pinning her to the floor.

"Hey, guys." Cloud greeted nonchalantly as if he wasn't breaking his significant other's arm.

"What are you two doing?" demanded Xion.

"Oh, just sparring." Tifa replied dismissively.

"Yeah, so your old mom won't get rusty." Cloud teased.

"No, your dad just likes getting his butt handed to him." Tifa smirked. Cloud glared at her. Then, they both bursted into a fit of laughter.

Then they noticed what the teens were wearing.

"Uh...what are you two planning on doing?" Tifa looked them up and down.

"Swimming at Demyx's." Xion answered.

"In October?" wondered Cloud.

"It's an indoor pool!" my friend exclaimed.

I laughed (silently you dopes) the family noticed the sudden movement from me and turned.

"Wadder you laughing at?" Xion tried to look annoyed, but started laughing herself at my ridiculous show.

"They're so cute!" squeaked Tifa.

We both turned deep red.

"Mom!" Xion whimpered

"Tifa, your embarrassing them! Well...I guess you need a brake from embarrassing yourself."

"Oh shut up! And while your at it, get up! Your squishing me!" Tifa yelped. Cloud stood, and pulled her up with him.

Tifa rubbed her gut, then pulled up her shirt slightly to examine the area. Xion slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand.

"No bruises. Your loosing your touch, Cloudy."

Cloud cringed "You...have been hanging around Zack too much. I get annoyed enough by him at work" then he looked over at me "Um...no offense Roxas."

'None taken, my dad can be very annoying.'

XxX

We arrived at Demyx's place a little while later.

He greeted us and practically dragged us to his pool house. Everyone else was already there, besides Sora and Kairi, who were walking to the party together.

All the kids were swimming and splashing and having fun. I kicked off my shoes and was about to jump in when I noticed Xion was pressing herself against the wall, pulling her button down tightly around her.

I cocked my head to the side, using that to ask what was wrong.

"My scars." she whispered "If they see them, they'll give me those weird looks and start judging me...but they don't understand."

Then I got an idea.

I picked her up in my arms, ran to the pool and jumped in.

She squealed but didn't object further. The other guests clapped and catcalled, eating up the act of serious flirtation.

"We're here!" we turned to the voice and saw three boys. We then did a double take.

Xion~

Axel, Roxas and some blue-haired boy walked through the door to the pool house.

But hold on...

I turned and saw Roxas gaping at his doppelgänger. Then I looked over at Axel, who was frozen in the middle of throwing a beach ball at Larxene's head.

"Ok! Who was messing with the magic copy machine?" yelled Riku.

I climbed up out of the pool with Roxas. We ventured to the still-dry group.

"Um...hi. I'm Xion. Who're you guys?"

"I'm Ventus!" Roxas' clone piped "But call me Ven!"

He held his left hand out to Roxas, who shook it cautiously. Then crossed his right hand over his left to shake my hand.

"And you are...?" he looked at my friend.

"That's Roxas."

"Um...I think your taking the words outta his mouth a bit. He can answer me."

Roxas sighed and looked over at me.

"Well uh actually...he can't."

Ventus-er Ven, raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"He's got this erm...disorder. And he can't talk."

Ven gazed at Roxas like he was an alien, then beamed. "Cool! Is it contagious? Can you give it to my brother?"

Roxas looked like he was gonna slap the blond kid, then smiled a little and shook his head.

"Aw!" Ven whined, the bounced right back "Oh well! I can find other ways to shut him up! But still that's pretty cool."

I was about to ask what was so 'cool' about Roxas' Siceforia, when the Axel look-alike pushed us aside and strode up to the side of the pool.

"Hello, mortals! My name is Lea! Got it memorized? You may bow to me now!"

Weirded-out-silence.

"Well, he may be crazy, but he sure is hot!" yelled Axel from the pool.

Lea's blue-haired friend walked over next to him and grumbled "I told you they wouldn't play along."

"Oh...shut it Isa!"

Wait...Lea?

I gasped, then ran up to Lea and hugged him.

"Huh?" he twisted around to see what was up.

"XiXi! I didn't know you lived here now! How're you doin'?"

I grinned. Lea had been like a big brother to me when I was living at Radiant Garden.

I turned to Roxas. "This is Lea! He goes to collage in Radiant Garden, where I used to live!"

He smiled and nodded.

"Well...actually I got kicked out so I came here." then he looked over at Roxas.

"This your boyfriend?" Lea whispered not-so-discreetly to me. I shook my scarlet head. Lea ignored me and looked over at my blond friend.

"Treat her right or I'll send my sadist-of-a-friend, Ranele after you!" then back to the group of teenagers in the water "I'm gonna go change! Anybody who wants to follow, please do!"

No one did, and Lea seemed pretty down about that, but just left. Isa walked to the changing room opposite of his.

"So...how do you know Lea and Isa...?" I turned to Ven, and saw him taking his shirt off.

Roxas~

These guys are so weird. I thought. That Ven is basically Sora in my body, and Lea is just Axel with stranger hair. And that other one...Isa...looked like a younger version of my astronomy teacher.

Lea and Isa went off to change. Xion tried to strike up a conversation with Ven.

"So...how do you know Lea and Isa...?" I looked over at him. Ven took off his shirt and cocked his head to the side, as if thinking about it.

"I was just drifting through Radiant Garden, looking for some friends of mine, and Lea tried to beat me in a fight. We've been friends since."

He looked over us for once "Uh...why're you wearing a shirt over your suit?"

"I'm...shy." she was twisting her left foot on the ground, like she does when she's lying.

"Why? Your pretty! Like, really pretty!" I bore a hole in his forehead with my glare. He took no notice.

Ven took a step towards her and pressed his lips to hers.

Lightning filled my veins and reflexes took over. I shoved him hard. He toppled into the pool. But my actions backfired.

On his way down, Ven grabbed the back of Xion's shirt, pulling her down with him.

They were underwater for a moment, then her head broke the surface. Her shirt fell off, exposing her slashed arms.

Everyone saw the dark gashes. Xion scuttled out of the pool. I reached for her as she ran past me, but couldn't catch her.

Xion~

I ran away. That's what I always do. I felt Roxas' hand on my arm as I ran, but I had to get away.

I climbed some stairs located down a small hallway close to the front door of the pool house.

At the top was a little balcony that gave whomever stood on it a view of the Aquatie's magnificent fountain. The balcony was already occupied by Sora and Kairi. I hid behind the doors that swung inward, leading to the romantic ledge.

I observed the couple, surprised. Sora was crying even harder than this morning. He was holding something that looked like a water gun in his hand.

"I-I can't d-do it-t th-though, Kairi! I c-can-n't k-i-ll y-you!"

My eyes widened in absolute shock.

Kill her? Kill Kairi?

"Sora.." she spoke softly "You said it yourself: if you don't kill me, they'll kill you." she put her hand on his shoulder "And I'd rather die then be without you."

What the heck is going on? Why does Sora have to kill Kairi? Who is 'they'?

All these questions and more raced through my mind as Sora laid a delicate kiss on Kairi's lips.

"I love you, Kairi." he whispered.

Then, with tears racing down his face, he touched the barrel of the gun to her temple.

And pulled the trigger.

Kairi fell to the ground, dead. Sora knelt over her, crying hard. His shirt had ridden up to expose a red mark on his back the shape of a skull and cross bones with and A in the middle. I jumped out from behind the door.

"Sora! What the heck?!" I yelled.

He stood. "Shh! Listen Xion, I can't tell you why i had to kill Kairi. But you can't tell Roxas!"

"You just killed his sister! Of course I'm gonna kill him!"

His eyes got big "No! Please, I need you to promise me you won't!"

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Because...I can't tell you that either. But you have to trust me! Please don't tell Roxas!"

I couldn't keep this from Roxas. He was my best friend. But...what if it was for his own good?

"Fine..." I mumbled "I won't tell him."

Suddenly I heard four knocks. Two half notes, a whole and an eighth. It was a knock Roxas had thought up. It meant 'Hello' or 'Where are you?'.

"Roxas! Come up here!" I called then motioned for Sora to hide.

He jumped off the balcony.

Roxas ran up and saw Kairi, dead on the floor.

He looked at me, his breath shallow and his eyes filled with horror.

"I don't know. I came up here to hide and I saw this guy in a mask shoot Kairi." I twisted my foot slightly on the floor.

"I saw this mark on his back though," I couldn't lie more "It was a red skull and cross bones with an A in the middle." Roxas turned pale.

Riku ran up the stairs and yelling "Did you find her?"

He saw Kairi.

"W-what happened?"

I retold my lie. Riku rushed downstairs with us on his heels.

XxX

Roxas~

I couldn't believe it.

My sister was dead.

And by the sound of it, an AVALANCHE assassin had done it.

**C/A My dad had taught us about the eco-terrorist group when we were younger.**

An ambulance pulled up and took her away. My dad drove up and followed it, forgetting I existed. I didn't mind.

I sat on Demyx's front steps, waiting for...something.

Xion sat down next to me.

"I'm sorry Roxas. I know how you feel."

Numbly, I wrote a reply: 'I'm sorry, too."

She turned to me, looking alarmed. "F-for what?"

'You had to watch.'

"Oh.."

'And, for once, when someone says they understand...they really mean it.'

"Yeah..." then my phone rang.

It was a text from my dad.

Rox, stay at Xion's tonight. Zack-Fricken Awesome-Fair

I smiled at my dad's ridiculous signature, then texted back that I understood.

I showed the conversation to Xion. She nodded and we walked to her house.

XxX

The second we walked through the door, I was tackled by Tifa.

"Your dad called and told me. You can stay in our guest room. What do you want for dinner?"

I shrugged. "Ok...pizza?" I nodded

Xion just took me to the guest room before Tifa could ask more questions.

The guest room was painted with a blue sky and clouds at the top of the walls, a navy sky covered in stars at the bottom, and a ribbon of red, purple, gold and pink in the middle. A setting son at the base of the day, a rising moon at the top of the night.

It was beautiful.

Xion walked to the closet and tugged on a suitcase. It finally came out and she toppled out onto the floor.

"Here. You can borrow these clothes till you can get some from home."

I opened the case. Clothes of all sorts exploded out: button downs, ripped jeans, t-shirts and...

Skirts?

I held up a pink kilt and looked at Xion, puzzled.

She smiled sheepishly "Well...these are my sister's old clothes. A lot of them were stolen from her boyfriend so...yeah."

I sorted throught the outfits and put the clothes that were obviously her boyfriend's. He seemed to have a lot of black pants, grey jackets and collared white shirts. In one of the pairs of pants was a wallet.

"Aqua...that little klepto!" I can't believe she stole Reno's wallet!"

I opened it curiously. Inside was twenty dollars in Euro notes (?), a punch card to Sweet Frog with nine punches, and a picture of a young woman with short choppy blue hair. She was smiling and hugging the neck of a tall, goofy-looking redhead.

I cocked my head. The picture stirred something in me. I was about to figure out what that was when Tifa called us for dinner.

XxX

On Sunday night I laid in bed and thought about the next day.

I would be going back to school.

I knew what this meant:

Stares.

Pats on the back.

The 'he's going to sink into a deep depression if we don't talk to him.' act

I covered my head with my pillow and went to bed.

Done! 3,579 words! That took me four days! Gosh...Oh and yeah that guy Sora was talking to was Shears. If ya couldn't tell.

And Ranele is Larxene's somebody. (dosn't exist in KH)

And yes, I DID have to put Reno in this.


	6. Chapter 6

Well a lotta people were pretty upset that Kairi died. And I wanted to say I'm sorry, but I had to do it.

Oh and at least three more important characters will die in this story, and when they do I'll probably be murdered by fangirls. So uh...I'm leaving my fish named Axel to Roxas.

Chapter 6.

Roxas~

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEE-! I slammed my fist down on the alarm, cutting it off. I sat up and yawned, looking around the room simultaneously.

At first I was like 'Whoa, were the heck am I?' but then I remembered: I was at Xion's.

And Kairi was dead.

I put my head in my hands. I understood nothing.

Why were they attacking us? Dad had quit SOLDIER years ago.

I heard a shower turn on somewhere and that told me I didn't have time to cry.

I could do that later.

I dressed in Reno's shirt, pants and my jacket.

I re-ordered my hair to its usual chaos and went to breakfast.

"Morning, Roxas..." Cloud yawned when I entered their dining room.

I waved slightly in a similar sleepy manor. I slid into the seat across from him. Upon reading the cover of the book he seemed to be dragging through, I wrote 'To kill a mocking bird?'

Cloud read my note way more eagerly than the book and, sighing, he leaned forward and whispered "Tifa's making me."

"Tifa's making you do what?" asked said woman, who happened to be walking into the room.

"Um...nothing...dear!" Cloud yelped.

Tifa smirked, as if enjoying watching him squirm, and set down a plate of food.

My eyes widened.

On it was bacon, eggs and three pancakes. Doesn't sound like much to you, I'm sure, but growing up in a fairly poor family makes you pretty easily amazed when it comes to food.

"Liken' that book, Cloud?" Tifa looked at her husband with her hands on her hips, daring him to diss the literature.

"Oh it's...a very insightful novel on uh...hunting...?" Cloud looked up at Tifa, hoping he guessed the plot correctly.

"Wrong. It's about a small town, about the time of the Great Depression, and..." Tifa blabbered on and we zoned out.

Xion~

I dried my short hair and put on my outfit for the day, humming simultaneously.

I picked up a pencil and quickly drew the final touches on my Halloween costume.

C/A I wasn't actually drawing on my costume, I was drawing the plans

I walked into the dining room and saw my dad staring at the ceiling, Roxas with his face dangerously close to his breakfast plate, and my mom preaching about...something.

Suddenly my dad raised his hand.

"And then-uh yes, Cloud?" my mom asked.

"I don't get it. If there's nothing about hunting in the entire book, then why is it called 'To kill a mocking bird'?"

Mom looked insulted. "Because it-!"

She almost continued her rant but I interrupted "Mom...did you try to make breakfast?" I eyed the plates of food on the table.

She turned a slight (and I mean slight) shade of red.

"Well...I wanted to at least try..." her voice drifted off.

Roxas was looking nervously at his breakfast, as if afraid it would come alive and eat HIM.

Mom took the plates away and sighed "Guess it's toast and oranges again."

Roxas stood and wrote a quick message.

'I can cook. My mom taught me everything about cooking when I was younger.'

At first my mom tried to tell him that he was a guest and he shouldn't be cooking for us, but he wouldn't hear it.

About ten minutes later Roxas walked back in balancing four plates in his arms.

He set the plates down. I examined the food resting on it. A golden omelet filled with fresh vegetables and topped with herbs from who-knows-where. I wondered if it tasted as good as it looked.

At first I was skeptical. When I was younger, my mother had tried to make me an omelet and I was in the bathroom puking for the rest of the week.

But then I took a bite.

It was the best thing I'd ever tasted! The omelet was perfectly cooked and had cheese inside the egg. The vegetables were crunchy and crisp.

Breakfast ended way too soon. I would have liked to just skip school and have Roxas cook for me all day, but we had to go to classes and 'learn'.

Mom kissed us both on the cheek and shoved us out the door.

Roxas~

At lunch, Xion discussed Halloween costumes. She refused to tell me what she was going to be, so the entire conversation was about me.

I had never dressed up for Halloween. Ok that's a lie. Age seven and lower I dressed up in the goofiest outfits.

No, I'd rather NOT tell you about them.

We (read:she) finally came to a decision.

I would be a ghost.

Xion was telling me exactly how she would paint my face when Selphie Banderas walked over, wearing all black.

*sniff sniff* "I-I'm s-sorry ab-bout K-K-WHAA!" she broke into hysterias and the entire cafeteria turned to look at us.

Xion and I were both red faced as we tried to calm Selphie down.

After five long minutes later, some teaches decided to walk over and help. They took her to the consoler's and left us to wallow in our humiliation.

Four Days Later~

"Hold still, Roxas! Do you WANT me to poke your eye out? Well actually that might make it more realistic...ok move all ya want!"

Needless to say, I didn't move again.

Um...maybe I should tell you what we were doing.

Putting on my make-up.

According to Xion, my face had to be absolutely white, with blue shading under my eyes and around my mouth and nose.

My clothes were grey and torn up, very uh...ghostish.

Anyway, after several more minutes of evil make-up, I was ready.

Xion pushed me out her door while she was getting ready. A while later she emerged in a puff of eyeshadow.

*cough cough* "Whadda ya think?"

She was wearing ripped grey cargo pants and a black camouflage shirt. A fake rifle was slung across her back. Blood was strategically splashed on her clothes and face. A black eye and a few scratches adorned her face.

My jaw kind of dropped.

"Imma zombie killah!" she cheered.

I nodded and she dragged me out the door.

When we got to school (yes, we dress up for Halloween at our school) Xion and I were the talk of the class. With our awesome costumes and the fact everyone thought we were dating (despite our disagreeing), we had our fifteen minutes of fame.

But it came crashing down fourteen minutes too early.

Vexan started calling role.

"Alotas!"

"Here!"

"Banderas!"

"Here.."

"Cawter!"

"Yeah, here!"

"Demitri!"

"Whatever..."

"DEMITRI!"

"Fine, here!"

"Fair!"

I banged on the desk and recived a death glare.

"Fooser!"

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

"Argh...FOOSER?!"

The students looked around the room, like Sora might be hiding.

This was weird...Sora never missed a day of school.

Never.

He had the perfect immune system and his parents made absolute sure he never skipped.

Suddenly a tall African man in a grey suit walked in.

He whispered something to Vexan and gestured to us.

Vexan nodded and the man left.

"I have just been informed that Sora Fooser..."

Incredibly long, dramatic pause.

"Has commited suicide."

X

Told ja. Um...if the next chapter doesn't come out within a week, assume I am dead.


	7. Chapter 7

Spoiler! Sora's death is not all it seemed...

Disclaimer: blah blah blah, you know the routine. I don't own anything.

And on to chapter 7!

Roxas~

No.

I wouldn't except it.

Something was off. I could feel it.

I mean, sure he was depressed about Kairi's death but...he loved life and living and he would always manage to laugh no matter what.

I was about to tell Xion my suspicions when an announcement came over the loud speaker.

"School will be canceled for the day. Go home."

Sounds like the secretary, Xaldin.

Xion and I walked home.

"I can't believe Sora would commit suicide." Xion murmured.

'Me neither.'

We arrived at her house a few minutes later.

Xion unlocked the door and we trudged inside. We were alone. Cloud was running deliveries with my dad and Tifa was working her weekday job at the flower shop my mother used to own.

Xion changed out of her long-sleeved shirt because it was hot in the house. I didn't bother to take off my costume; why go through the make-up ritual again tonight?

I turned on the TV and waited for Xion to come back in.

Then, their phone rang.

I looked at the number, and nearly feinted.

It was Sora.

The phone went to voicemail.

"This is the Strife residents. Please call again later." Cloud's voice told the caller.

"I know your there, Roxas." a man's voice said. I was shocked.

"Pick up the phone and continue this conversation. On the porch."

I took the black phone from it's cradle and walked out to the porch.

"Ok, I see you." He's here? I thought, terrified. "Now, turn to Xion's window." I followed his orders.

"Look in that big tree leaning over that part of the roof."

I did, and immediately felt sick.

There was a small, dark haired man in the tree. He seemed to be holding a little silver gun in his left hand. He smiled at me and pointed at Xion's window with the gun.

"I think you get my point." he said "And if you don't want to end up like Sora, you'd better show up in front of the old mansion. At ten."

He hung up and disappeared into the tree.

I walked back inside and placed the phone back in it's spot.

Xion walked in.

"Did somebody call?" she asked. I shook my head quickly.

"Ok, then." she smiled and sat down. We watched watched TV for a while and then Xion got ready for trick-or-treating.

We traveled around town, knocking on doors and mooching candy offa complete strangers.

At eight O'clock, I somehow convinced Xion to stop trick-or-treating. We walked back to her house.

After changing into normal clothes, Xion flopped down on the couch and fell right asleep.

I took off my make-up and put on some black clothes, then headed to the Tram Common.

On the back wall, amongst the bricks, was a large hole. I slipped through the passage and into the woods beyond.

I figured I didn't have to be worried about getting ambushed; the man wanted to talk to me.

...right?

Wrong.

I heard a twig snap and was suddenly on the alert.

A hand grabbed my shoulder and I dropped to the ground, their grip relinquished. They reached down and grabbed my hood, yanking me up. I snagged a tree branch, broke it and swung the branch blindly, connecting to something hard. A loud yell told me it was my attacker's head. I turned and drove my foot into their gut. I began to run away but tripped. I heard my opponent get up and start towards me. I desperately tried to crawl away. They grabbed my foot and pulled me back.

They pulled me up and slammed my back against a huge oak tree. My breath left me and black explosions flashed before my eyes.

My attacker brought their face closer to mine.

She had smallish features and sad brown eyes. Light cocoa-colored hair was tied up in a ponytail and a thick red ribbon was wrapped around her hairline.

"You fought well." she said softly "I'm sorry about what we have to do to you."

The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a white cloth that seemed to glow in the darkness.

She placed it over my mouth and nose. It smelled like something rotten but I didn't have time to react before my head got foggy. Then I felt incredibly tired.

Unconsciousness came quickly.

Once the boy was knocked out, I called to Barret. He tiptoed (well...more like crashed) over and picked the boy up as if he was a kitten and slung him over his shoulder.

"Nice job, Jess!" he clapped me on the back and would've sent me flying into a tree if not for my twenty extra pounds of armor. I rocked forward quite a bit, though.

We started back to the old mansion. I looked up at Barret.

"Barret...?"

"Yeah?" he didn't look at me.

"W-why are we doing this?"

He stopped. "Doing what?"

I took a deep breath "Why are we killing off the SOLDIERS?"

He leaned down slightly, squinting at me. As if trying to decide if I really was Jessie, or just some clone sent to destroy him.

"Because! They fought for Shinra! They supported them! They have to be destroyed!"

"But...Barret...this boy..." I looked at the blonde, deeply asleep.

"He isn't part of SOLDIER. I-it's not his fault he's got the genes."

Barret's eyes softened "I know. But, Jess...you gotta understand that this kid could grow up and...take over the world or somethin'."

I sighed, wishing Sora was still here. He was like my little brother, and we stood with many of the same veiws.

But I guess this is what happens when you try to leave AVALANCHE.

X

Looking back on it, this chapter kinda sucks. I'm sorry. The next one will be better so don't be mad.


	8. Chapter 8

I am pretty proud of this chapter. So uh, hope ya like it.

Disclaimer:If I owned Kingdom Hearts Roxas would be the main character. So obviously, I don't own it.

Chapter 8!

Roxas~

"Tie his hands BEHIND his back, idiot!" a rough voice growled.

"Sorry!" mumbled a somehow familiar voice.

"What exactly are we gonna do once he wakes up?"

"Shh. I told you. We test him to see if there are Jenova cells in his body, then we kill him."

"What if he doesn't have the cells?"

A pause in which I prayed the first voice would say they'd let me go.

"Mm...then we'll either kill him or recruit him."

I forced my two-ton eyelids to open, my head to raise and my brain to work.

I was surrounded by one of the strangest-looking groups ever.

To my right were a couple of guys, one kind of chubby and the other fairly small. Both had black hair. I recognized the smaller one as the assassin outside Xion's window.

To my right was a very large, muscular man with dark skin and some sort of metal contraption where his left hand should have been. Next to him was the girl that ambushed me in the woods.

Leaning against a wall was a mean looking man with choppy brown hair. He scowled at me as if I were a leather-clad hooligan about to take his daughter on a date.

And directly in front of me was a tall woman with magenta-colored hair. She had an air of regality, as if born to be a queen.

"He's awake!" announced the chubby man.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." the smaller man next to him said.

"Shut up you two!" ordered the scary looking brunette.

"We're not scared of you, Shears!" retorted Smaller.

"Oh yeah?" the man-Shears-growled. Then streaked across the room and socked Smaller in the face.

Chubby tried to defend his friend. The Cyborg laughed and ran over. A fight broke out in seconds.

The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose as if to massage away the headache that was doubtlessly plaguing her. She looked over to Attacker. "Jessie?"

The girl nodded and put two fingers in her mouth and blew. An ear-shattering whistle rang out and the fighting men fell to the floor, clutching their heads.

"Thank you." said The Queen. Jessie nodded again and backed into the wall.

"Barret! Wedge!" Cyborg and Chubby stood and walked over to the woman.

"Take...um...him to the experiment room."

I glared to show I was irritated that she didn't know my name.

Smaller opened his mouth as if to say something, but then decided against it.

Barret and Wedge walked over and untied my hands. They jerked me up and half dragged, half carried me to a door that had been positioned behind the chair.

I was pulled into a large foyer. Streaky yellow light poured through the dirty windows, to illuminate broken furniture and rubble. I tried to become a dead weight when we came to a flight of stairs, but to no avail. Cyborg-Uh Barret-simply took hold of my hood and dragged me up, with Wedge trailing behind. I was forced to stumble up to avoid being strangled by the large man. I saw the rest of their team behind Wedge, taking their own sweet time getting here.

We came to a door. It concealed a library.

And that concealed something else.

I was taken inside the room. The Queen walked past us and to a table in the middle of the room. She pressed her palm into a circular yellow pattern on the wood. The floor began to glow.

The magenta haired woman got to the wall as fast as she could.

The floor disappeared.

A blue stairway led to a blue space, I was pushed down the steps. Through another two doors and down a hall, I found myself in a large white room. There was a huge white thing in the middle of the room that looked like a closed flower. In front of it was a chair with silver straps on the arm and head rests. As well on the front legs.

I did not want to be put into that.

Barret and Wedge began pushing me towards the chair.

I called on my alleged super strength and tried to get away from my captors.

My finger tips touched the cool silver doorknob on the white door and I knew if I got past this barrier I could get to a window I saw in the library.

I could escape.

I only got as far as the door.

Somebody rammed into my side. I hit the wall hard my head slammed into the white Sheetrock. I fell to the floor, disoriented.

I saw three Shears stand over me. They reached down and grabbed a handful of my blonde hair. They dragged me to the middle of the room. Jessie and Smaller pulled me into the chair, strapping down my wrists and ankles. But they left the strap attached to the headrest undone.

My vision returned to normal and the slight nausea disappeared.

"How do we test for this sort of thing?" asked Wedge.

"Well, the number of Jenova cells are way way out numbered by normal cells," began The Queen "So we have to perform several tests."

I didn't like the word 'several' in that sentence.

"So what are we waiting for?" asked Smaller impatiently.

"DiZ! Duh!" Wedge smacked him on the back of his head. Smaller whirled around and was about to retort with his fist, but The Queen stepped between them.

"If you two get into another fight, I will test you for Jenova cells." *icy glare of pure evil*

The men gulped and backed off and I knew I was screwed.

Suddenly the door bursted open. A man in a black clock-type thing walked in. His head was wrapped in a thick layer of red bandages.

"DiZ!" exclaimed Jessie. He lifted a hand in greeting.

The man walked over to us.

"What is this?" he asked looking at me.

Smaller pulled a file from a bag that was slung across his chest.

"Mm...thought to be a SOLDIER. Must be tested to confirm," he read.

I hated everyone in the room.

"Very good. We shall begin testing now."

He walked to the wall and touched a random space. A door opened. He pulled a silver cart laden with instruments out of the opening.

DiZ pushed it over to me. "Shears. You will help." he ordered. Shears stepped over.

"I was head of torture and interrogation in the F.B.I before I was in AVALANCHE." he whispered in my ear. My eyes widened.

I was so dead.

DiZ selected a syringe and jammed it in my arm, pulling blood out. I winced.

Several capsules of blood later, DiZ picked out yet another syringe. I thought he was going to try to see just how much blood I had by taking it out, but I was mistaken.

This time, he stuck it into a little bottle of some bluish liquid, then drew it out.

Shears fastened the strap on the headrest around my neck. DiZ held his hand to my forehead, pinning my head to the chair.

He aimed the needle at my left eye. I tried to move my head to avoid the needle but his hand prevented me from doing so.

"What is that for?" someone asked. I was too terrified to try and pin the voice.

"We will be able to get a very good result with this experiment. If it is a SOLDIER, nothing should happen. If not,"

He smirked.

"It will go blind."

I was so mad. He kept calling me an 'it'. He loved my terror I could tell. I wanted to break out of that thing and pummel the man.

In my rage, I forgot all about the needle coming towards my eye.

It pierced my pupil and the pain was overwhelming. I opened my mouth to scream even though I couldn't. And that made it all the more painful.

DiZ finally pulled the syringe out, leaving my eye aching terribly.

He stood aside. Shears moved in front of me and stared into my eye.

He covered my right eye with his hand and held up three finger.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

I played dumb, figuring that was the only way to escape.

I squinted and shrugged. Then held up five fingers.

"He doesn't know!" the brunette man exclaimed.

"So we were mistaken?" asked The Queen.

"I guess the girl was the SOLDIER." shrugged Smaller.

"We can't be sure." DiZ said "We have to test the blood as well," he reminded them.

My blood boiled. I was angry. But then confused.

Why had they killed Kairi without testing her? Why had they kidnapped me? Why not just kill me?

Jessie undid the straps that held me in place. The second I was free, I threw her against the wall. I held my hand against her neck, pinning her to the wall.

She gasped and clawed at my hand but she was no match for my strength.

"Put her down!" commanded The Queen, as if I was one of her loyal subjects.

I shook my head and tightened my grip. I didn't want to kill this girl, but if that's what it took to get answers...

I would kill anybody.

"What do you want?" asked Wedge in a shaky voice.

"He can't talk, idiot." Smaller said in an equally scared voice.

I mouthed the words 'Do what I say or she dies.'

The Queen glared at me. Then a look of defeat took over her face.

"Fi-"

"Kill her then. She's worthless anyway." DiZ said dismissively.

I couldn't believe it. She was part of his team. But he called her worthless?

I felt something wet on my hand. I turned and saw Jessie was crying.

Was it because she was about to die?

"H-he's right." she managed.

I was stunned.

She believed that jerk?

I couldn't kill her.

I relinquished my grip on Jessie's neck. She fell to the floor, choking and panting.

I walked away from the wall, to DiZ. Glaring, I turned and put my hands behind my head in surrender. Wedge came behind me, forcing me to my knees and tying my hands.

Jessie~

He held me to the wall. My lungs screamed for the air this boy was depriving me of.

His eyes held anger. Directed at me and the rest of AVALANCHE.

I deserved his anger.

"Kill her then. She's worthless anyway."

Worthless? I couldn't believe it! Who was he to say that?

But then I realized it was true. I had allowed myself to get in this position, which was a big mistake.

I began to cry when a voice in my head corrected me.

'You didn't make a mistake; you are a mistake.' it whispered.

The blonde turned when he felt my tears slip of my face and onto his hand.

"H-he's right." I sobbed, mostly to myself.

My vision began to darken.

He stared at me in shock, then blinked and let go of me.

I fell to the ground, choking as I tried to get air back into my body.

I looked up at the boy as he walked over to DiZ. Then he turned so his back was to the man. He put his hands behind his head.

DiZ smirked. He gestured and Wedge rushed over. He pushed the blonde to his knees and tied his hands behind his back.

The boy raised his head. The look on his face haunted me for the rest of my life.

It was a look that said 'This is your fault.'


	9. Chapter 9

This is the fastest I'v ever updated a chapter so yay!

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

Chapter 9

Xion~

I woke up the next morning earlier than usual.

It was Saturday and I would've gone back to sleep, but I had this weird feeling. Like something was...wrong.

I got out of bed and to Roxas' room. I knocked on the door.

No answer.

At first I was worried then I thought 'Wait it's five O'clock, he's probably still asleep.'

In thought, I accidentally leaned on the door and toppled inside.

I blushed though no one saw me. I stood and looked in the bed to see if I had woken my friend up.

Roxas had the comforter pulled over his head so I couldn't tell.

But something didn't feel right.

I held my breath for a second to hear his. Nothing.

"Roxas..." I said quietly, trying to wake him without being harsh.

"Roxas!" I cried. I pulled back the covers to reveal several pillows arranged strategically to make it seem as if a fifteen year old boy were sleeping there.

I gasped and ran to my parents room. My mother was hogging the blanket and my dad was snoring.

"Wake up!" I yelled.

"What is it, Xion?" mumbled my dad without even opening his eyes.

"Roxas is gone!"

They sat up. "Gone?!"

"Xion, explain." Mom said.

I took a breath "WellIwokeupearlyandthoughtI'dgocheckonRoxasbutwhenIknock edhedidn' .SothenIcheckedonRoxastoseeif Ihadwokenhimupbuthewasn'tthere!"

My parents stared at me "Um..could you say that again?" my mom asked.

"And slower, please." Dad added.

"Well I woke up early and thought I'd go check on Roxas but when I knocked he didn't answer so I thought he was asleep. But then I tripped and fell inside. So then I checked on Roxas to see if I had woken him up but he wasn't there!" I tried again, getting more and more frustrated.

"Calm down sweetheart," my mother soothed.

"He might've just gone for a walk." Dad reasoned.

"Yeah, text him." Mom said.

My dad nodded sleepily and yawned. I walked to my room and sat on my bed. I picked up my phone.

Where r u Rox? -X

Third person~

After dragging Roxas to the basement, the members of AVALANCHE went to their meeting place, which was once a dining room.

"So how long until the results come back?" asked Elfé, who was seated at the head of the table.

"Oh, a few hours." DiZ replied simply.

"But the Mako test was negative," Jessie told him.

A/N That was the test when DiZ stuck a needle in Roxas' eye.

"He could've been lying." reminded Elfé gently.

"And why're you sticking up for that freak anyway?" Biggs demanded "He tried to kill you!"

Jessie stared at the chipped oak wood in front of her.

"Well-" she began but was cut off.

"Some nights I wish that this all would end. Cuz I could use some friends for a change." a disembodied voice sang.

"What is that?" yelped Wedge.

"And some nights I'm scared you'll forget me again." was about the time that Biggs realized it was coming from his pocket.

"It's his phone." he whispered dramatically, holding up the beat up grey phone they had confiscated from Roxas.

"It's a text from that girl!" he started reading aloud from the screen: "Where er uh Rox? Dash X." Biggs was obviously unlearned in the art of texing.

"Gimme that!" Wedge took the phone from him.

"Where are you Rox? The ID says 'Xion'."

"Oh that's his friend!" Biggs remembered the girl he had used as black mail to get Roxas there.

"Hm..." Elfé mused "Text her back,"

"Uh..what should I say?" Wedge wondered aloud.

"Tell her to come to the old mansion with Zack Fair and her father. Then we'll have two more SOLDIERS walk right through our doors." DiZ said.

Jessie gasped. "C-Cloud? He's a..SOLDIER?" she had been in love with Cloud since she was little.

"Supposedly," DiZ answered cooly.

"Please don't kill him!" the brunette begged "H-he's my friend!"

"Yeah," agreed Barret "I'v known Cloud for...well a long time, and I know he was never in SOLDIER."

"Hm...well he claims to have been. Even if he wasn't in the group, he may still have the genes."

"B-but..." murmured Jessie.

"And besides..." DiZ stood "What kind of person would I be if I let your Cloud live, but killed the boy?" and with that, he walked out.

Xion~

a few minute later, I received a reply. When I first heard my ringtone go off (a few chords I recorded myself on my guitar) I nearly fainted from relief.

But when I read the message, my blood froze.

If you want your friend back, come to the old mansion with Zack Fair and your father. You'd better hurry up. -R

And attached to the text was a picture of a boy with black hair. He was smirking evilly at the camera.

I ran to my parent's room, then woke my dad.

"Look at this," I hissed.

He gave me a 'Can't you just let me sleep?' look, then examined the screen.

"Call Zack." Dad commanded "And meet me in the car in five minutes."

I flipped open my phone and dialed Zack's phone.

After several rings, he picked up.

"Mmph...Zack Fair speaking. Wadda ya want?" he seemed to have just woken up.

"Zack! Roxas has been kidnapped! W-we're gonna pick you up so get-"

"'Kidnapped'?!" he interrupted.

"Yes! Just get ready and we'll be there soon!"

"Wait, Xion! Tell Cloud...tell him it's time to use his Keyblade! Don't ask questions!"

And with that, he hung up.

'Keyblade'? I thought. Then I shook my head, reminding myself there wasn't much time.

"Dad!" I yelled, running into his room.

"Shh!" he hissed and pulled on a jacket.

"Dad. Zack said it's time to use your um...Keyblade." I told him.

He looked shocked.

"A-are you sure he said Keyblade?" Dad asked nervously.

I nodded "Mm hm...he said Keyblade."

My dad sighed "Ok...get in the car Xion,"

XxX

I sat in the backseat of my dad's car, Zack in the passenger's and my dad driving.

They talked in hushed, grim tones.

"What's a Keyblade?" I asked.

No answer.

"Why does dad need it?"

Still being ignored.

"Do you have a Keyblade, Zack?"

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Nothing.

Then I got mad. "Stop ignoring me!" I screamed "Tell me why these people want to kill Roxas!" tears fell out of my eyes.

The car came to a screeching halt.

The two men in the front turned to look at me.

"Who wants to kill Roxas?" Zack asked nervously.

Crap. I thought. Roxas didn't tell him.

"I-I can't tell you."

"Xion." my dad said sternly "What do you know?"

"Xion please," Zack begged "My son is in danger. He's my only kid. Please...I can't loose anymore of my family."

That's where I lost my resolve.

"Fine! One night Roxas and I were walking down the road..." I told them everything. The rock with the note, Roxas' plan to destroy AVALANCHE, even that it was Sora that killed Kairi.

For a second, they just stared at me.

Then my dad stomped on the gas and we were speeding towards the Tram Common.

XxX

We sprinted through the hole in the wall and to the woods beyond.

Ahead of us loomed the spooky old mansion.

"Xion, stay here." my dad said.

"No way!" I protested "We are obviously a family of fighters and I wanna live up to the expectations."

My dad sighed, then held his hand out to the side. Instantly, a black, key-shaped blade appeared in his palm. It seemed to be covered in white bandages.

"Cloud, it's either let her come or watch her drop from the roof in front of you." Zack said, then summoned his weapon; a thick blue key with spikes like thorns covering the teeth.

We looked at him, having no idea what he was talking about.

"I mean, if you don't let her come in, she's gonna sneak in."

"Fine...Xion you can come." Dad relented. He reached behind him with his free hand and pulled a double edged sword out of a sheath that had been strapped across his back.

"Here." he handed me the sword.

We walked to the front door. My dad took a step forward.

"One..two..THREE!" he kicked the door down and we jumped in.

X

Yes I did have to do a cliffhanger!

You know the drill! R&R


	10. Chapter 10

I am so sorry it took so long! I kept rewriting it and stuff.

Disclaimer: The only way I will ever own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy is if someone gives them to me for my birthday (hint, hint!)

Chapter 10

Xion~

...and no one was in there.

Zack's head fell "That ruined the moment," he grumbled.

The room we had dramatically leaped into was very large and very dusty, two stairways were stuck to opposite walls.

"Ok! Um...Xion, look in the basement!" Zack told me "We'll look up there!" he pointed up one of the stairways.

"Xion," Dad looked into my eyes "If you see anyone that isn't Roxas, get away quickly. Ok?"

I nodded. Zack dragged my dad up the steps and I was alone.

Third person~

Cloud and Zack carefully opened the door, inside was a doorway.

They walked to the middle of the room, to a table.

"Hey, Zack look at this." Cloud pointed at an odd yellow symbol on the wood.

Zack touched the pattern and the floor began to glow.

"What the..?" Cloud stepped away from the table and to the wall, on a small border of non-glowing carpet. Zack stood glued to the floor.

The ground disappeared and the dark-haired man fell through open air.

"Zack!" his companion yelped.

He was laying in a blue space.

Cloud rushed down the stairs to his friend.

"Are you ok?" he asked, helping Zack up.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist."

Cloud glared at him and the advanced to a hall. There were strange, dusty pods hanging from the walls and a large buzzing machine next to a door.

Zack peered inside the glass window on the microwave-like machine. Many test tubes were lined up inside, each filled with a dark liquid.

They opened the door. Inside was a pristine white room.

With blood stains on the floor.

The two walked to the chair in the center of the room.

"What do you think happened here?" Cloud asked.

Zack examined the scene, being specially trained in stuff like that.

He'd failed the class, but still...

"Well...look at these discarded needles on the rack. They've got blood on them. So...they were probably taking blood samples and not caring how much blood was spilt after they got what they wanted."

Cloud nodded, then pointed to the spots of red at the end of the armrests "And here?"

Zack looked at them "Mm...I bet whoever was strapped into this thing dug their fingernails into their palms when they were getting blood taken out."

"Wonder what kind of experiment they were doing."

Zack shrugged "Dunno,"

Cloud began looking at the instruments on the silver rack.

He noticed a syringe with a tiny bit of blue liquid inside. The label read 'Mako infusion, 2 mg'.

Cloud's heart stopped.

"Z-Zack," his friend looked over to him and jerked his head.

"Look at this."

Cloud handed him the syringe. Zack took it and read the label. His face paled.

"Mako?"

Cloud nodded "Zack...I think they were testing Roxas. That's why they took blood and once they thought he was a SOLDIER..."

Zack's eyes widened. He looked at the bloody chair behind him and the needle in his hand.

Suddenly a soft, mechanical beep rang out from the hall. Cloud and Zack looked at each other, then walked towards the source.

The sound had come from the machine by the door. A little screen on the top told them that whatever test it had been conducting was complete and the results were in.

Cloud tapped the screen and read the words aloud.

"'Test result: positive.' were they testing the blood samples...?"

Zack nodded "Yeah, I think so."

"Then why did they do the Mako infusion?"

"Maybe...maybe they didn't care if he wasn't. You know if your not a SOLDIER, Mako will wipe away your memory and your personality. Then...they would have an abnormally strong kid that they could mold into whatever they wanted." he sighed "When Roxas and Kairi were born, I hoped Aerith's human cells would overpower my Jenova cells. But I was wrong..."

"Zack, Aerith was about as superhuman as you. An Ancient and a Keyblade weilder? Come on, did you really believe you'd have normal children?" Cloud put his hand on Zack's shoulder. The blackette smiled weakly "You're one to talk! How're Xion's powers comin'?"

Cloud glared at him "Oh shut up! Xion's powers haven't matured yet! Tifa's still hoping she'll grow out of it before it even happens."

"Really? Tifa's not one to hang on to hopeless cases." Zack retorted.

"Let's just go get Xion." grumbled Cloud.

Xion~

It took me a while to find the basement. But finally I found the door (next to the dirty glass window overlooking the courtyard). The stairs spiraled downward into darkness.

But I could see the smallest glow of light as I descended.

It seemed to take forever, but I finally got to the basement.

Roxas~

I was tied to yet another chair, but this one without armrests. My hands were roped to the top of the chair legs, my arms pinned to my sides by rope that circled around the back of the chair and my chest.

Dried blood caked my right arm from the many needle wounds that were sprinkled up and down the main vein. I could hardly see with my left eye, probably a side affect of the weird cell test. Light from a single bulb directly above me surrounded my body in a yellow halo.

I heard footsteps on the stairs. The worst case scenario took root in my heart. The test results were in, I was a SOLDIER, they were coming to kill me.

I was going to die.

I had my head hung to show defeat, maybe they'd think I was asleep and would make my death quick and painless. They liked my pain and if I wasn't awake, I couldn't show it.

That logic makes sense...right?

The footsteps got louder. They got to the edge of the light and I heard a small gasp.

"Roxas!" a voice cried. Xion emerged from the shadows.

She held a silver sword in her hand and was still wearing pajamas.

I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

With the sword, she began to cut me loose.

"Roxas! I'm so glad your ok!" The weight of the world slipped off her shoulders; the weight of the universe? Yup, still on mine.

"Well, isn't this sweet?" Wedge stepped into the light. He held a sword even bigger than Xion's. He pointed it at her and she dropped her weapon.

The man slashed the ropes on my arms-cutting an impressive gash in the process-I stood next to my friend.

"Up the stairs!" Wedge commanded, jamming the tip of his blade into Xion's back. She gave an involuntary whimper of pain and I put my hand on her shoulder, steering her away from Wedge.

Once we got upstairs, Wedge directed us to the stairs on the right and stood guard.

The rest of AVALANCHE came in. DiZ flashed me a wicked grin. In his hand he held a strange weapon. It had the handle of a giant silver revolver that melded into a sleek blade.

"Cloud! Move it!" I heard a muffled voice yell from the library.

The door bursted open and our fathers ran out.

"Dad!" yelled Xion.

They ran down the stairs to the pre-chaos below. Cloud saw DiZ and stopped.

"That's..." he started.

DiZ swung his sword around, as if testing it.

"Like my toy? I got it from a boy maybe...fifteen years ago?" he smirked.

"Squall! Did you...kill him...?" Cloud seemed nervous.

"Kill? No. But I do believe he has been put into a mental hospital. You can send him a postcard from Hell"

Cloud launched forward and attacked the man. Dad ran over to us and knocked Wedge to the ground with this weird, key-shaped blade.

Then, a miniature war broke out.

I took the a sword from the unconscious Wedge and started fighting whoever got in front of me.

It was insanity.

My strength, doubled. My speed, tripled. As much as I hated these people, I didn't want to kill anyone.

I wasn't like them.

Xion~

Roxas cut their numbers in half easily. I battled against some girl with brown hair and blue armor covering her upper body. She was a good fighter, but something...something fueled me. I don't know how to describe it...it was like...like I had just been injected with a million shots of espresso.

It was amazing.

While I was fighting, I saw my dad fighting that big dude with the funny sword. Dad wove in and out of the stream of bullets coming from the weapon. Dad seemed really angry.

I wondered who that guy he was talking about...Squall? But before I could think further, the man threw my father into the wall next to us.

He pointed the gun-like weapon at my dad. The girl and I jumped back, our fight forgotten.

"C-Cloud..." she whispered. I looked at her, and to my shock, saw tears filling her wide eyes.

"I am ridding this Earth of SOLDIERS. If it kills me." the man declared.

"Dad!" I screamed, my voice cracked to the point that it didn't even sound like me.

The man put his finger on the trigger and began to squeeze it when a blue blur shot past me.

An orange shockwave went down the blade.

The girl I had been fighting leaped in front of the bullet.

Cloud~

I stared down the barrel of Squall's gun, pretty much the last place I had ever wanted to be.

I was leaning against the wall, only a few feet away from my soon-to-be-murderer.

Behind DiZ, I saw Zack fighting AVALANCHE'S leader, Elfé. Xion and Jessie stood gaping next to me. It crushed me that she was part of the team.

"I am ridding this Earth of SOLDIERS. If it kills me." DiZ told me.

"Dad!" I heard Xion scream.

But I was so terrified, she sounded a thousand miles away.

A heard a _warmp_, meaning DiZ had pulled the trigger and the bullet was coming for me. I closed my eyes and wait for the flash of pain then darkness that would inevitably come.

Nothing..

Nothing..

I felt a sudden weight on my legs. I opened my eyes.

Jessie laid across my lap, blood leaking out of a wound on her stomach.

"Jessie!" I screamed. She looked at me sleepily "Heh...I guess this is...it."

"N-no! You won't die! Jessie...!" Jessie had been my best friend...I couldn't loose her.

"I...I always loved you...Cloud." she smiled serenely, then closed her eyes.

I set Jessie on the floor and called my Keyblade back to me and started attacking DiZ viciously.

I knocked him unconscious, then locked him in a room.

I ran back to the others.

"Cloud, are you ok?" Zack asked. I nodded breathlessly.

"You guys owe us answers!" Xion declared, putting her hands on her hips. I smiled; she looked just like Tifa.

I laughed slightly then fell over.

Third person~

Zack ran over to his friend.

"Cloud! Can you hear me?" he shook Cloud.

Cloud attempted to focus on Zack, but couldn't. He also attempted to focus on the random shape behind him, but that was about as possible as the first try.

Roxas and Xion stood next to their fathers, fidgeting nervously.

Suddenly, there was a loud 'BANG!' A hole appeared above Cloud's head. Zack fell in front of Roxas and Xion.

"Zack!" Cloud managed. He somehow got up and walked over to Zack.

Roxas looked up and saw Shears holding a black handgun. He dropped to the floor, barley able to stay conscious after fighting with Roxas.

"Roxas..." Zack mumbled. The blonde turned to his father. Roxas knelt next to him.

"Sorry...kid...I wasn't ever a great dad...or anything...and I kinda kept everything from you..." Zack's breath got shallower and shallower.

'Dad.' Roxas mouthed. Tears began their decent down his cheeks, carving paths through the dirt.

"Zack! N-not you t-too!" Cloud stuttered.

"Your...not a kid anymore...you don't need me...to protect you..." he smiled his signature grin and his eyes unfocused, dulling to gray.

Suddenly, there was a flash. A black, metal key appeared in Roxas' left hand. There seemed to be a silver chain running through it.

Roxas didn't question it. He stood and rushed to Shears. His blue eyes glowed with Mako energy.

Shears gathered his wits and scrambled up, trying to run.

He made it to the door.

Roxas smashed his blade into Shears' side. He fell to the floor. Roxas stared down at him, pitiless. He raised the key over Shears' chest.

Without hesitation, the boy brought it down. Roxas felt the end hit the floor hard.

Shears screamed. Xion watched on in horror. She was scared.

X

Ok if your confused, please PM me and I will explain. If you have played FF7 and Crisis Core and seen Last Order, you will probably understand everything. Other wise you might have questions.


	11. Chapter 11

Ok, everyone is going to hate me for this: this is a filler chapter. I kinda wanted to explain Jessie and Cloud's connection, so uh...here it is.

Disclaimer I'v told you 10 times.

"Mommy, can you put my hair up like yours?" Jessie Rose asked, bouncing up and down on her toes.

The seven-year-old held a red ribbon in her hand. She wore a blue button up shirt and thin khaki pants, saying she wanted to look "smart" for her first day of first grade.

"Of course darling, come here." Jessie stood in front of her mother as she pulled the little girl's hair into a high ponytail.

Once she was done, she handed Jessie her lunch box and sent her to school.

"I love you!" her mother called off the front porch.

"I love you too!" Jessie walked happily down the sidewalk to the school that was only a block away.

Jessie was a very shy girl, so she preferred to go through the back door so she wouldn't be noticed.

She came to the corner was about to walk around it when she saw a little boy and his mother. She had her back to Jessie and the boy seemed to distraught to notice her.

The boy had spiky blonde hair, dark clothes and beautiful blue eyes. Jessie was mesmerized by the boy's appearance, so she pulled herself back and listened to her conversation.

"But Mommy, what if the kids don't like me?" the boy whimpered.

"Cloud, don't worry. Everybody likes you. You'll be fine." his mother tried to reassure him.

"What if they make fun of my hair?" he reached up and tugged on one of his spikes.

"O-Or my name?"

Cloud's mother knelt in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Cloud, you are a sweet and wonderful boy. You will have so many friends you won't know what to do! So stop worrying, it'll be alright."

"Promise?" he held out his pinky.

"Promise." his mother wrapped her little finger around his.

She kissed him on the head and walked away.

The boy pushed the door open and walked nervously inside.

Jessie darted in after him and took a seat on the big blue carpet in the middle of the room, which was supposed to look like an ocean.

All Jessie's friends from kindergarden were already sitting there, chatting happily.

Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy got into a fight the second they laid eyes on each other. The teacher put them on either side of Jessie.

"Ok class, quiet down!" the teacher called. Seifer reached across Jessie and flicked Squall hard in the head. Squall turned and threw his pencil case at Seifer.

"Boys if you don't stop that, I will put you in the corner!" the teacher threatened.

The two rolled their eyes in unison, the effect of time-out having worn away in preschool.

"We have a new student today! His name is Cloud Strife and he-oh where is he?" the teacher began looking around, trying to find the lost boy.

The children returned to talking to each other, Squall and Seifer returned to trying to kill each other (no surprise there). Jessie got up and snuck to the back door. She carefully opened it and slipped outside.

Cloud was sitting on the steps that lead to the concrete landing on which the door rested. The little boy was crying and rubbing his eyes.

Jessie walked over and sat next to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Cloud looked over at her and sniffed.

"A-all the k-kids are gon-nna m-make f-fun-n of m-me-e. A-and I w-won't h-have a-n-ny fr-riends." he sobbed.

"No they won't," Jesse said "The kids in there are even weirder than you!"

Cloud's crying lessened "Th-they are?"

Jessie nodded "Uh huh. You think your hair's funny? Well Claire has pink hair! And Fuujin has crazy red eyes. And Tidus carries a blitzball wherever he goes!"

A/N That's the slightly older Tidus from FF, not the one on Destiny Islands.

Jessie went on listing the oddities of her friends, successfully making Cloud laugh.

"Oh and don't worry, your name won't seem weird here! Everyone has weird names. Like Squall and Zidane and Tifa."

"How about you? What's your name?" Cloud wondered.

"My name's Jessie!" the girl replied "And, I guess that makes me weird..."

Cloud cocked his head "But Jessie's not a weird name at all."

"Compared to everybody else it is. All the other kids have really nice and unique names. There are a million Jessies." she sighed and looked at her lap.

She felt something on her shoulder. She looked up and discovered the thing was Cloud's hand.

"Nuh uh." he shook his head, causing his hair to whip around his face as if caught in a strong wind "They might have the same name as you, but it's not possible for anybody else to be as nice and wonderful as you!" he insisted, sounding much older than he really was.

Now, as a first grader, Jessie didn't know what love was (besides the platonic love she gave and received from her family). So although she didn't know it then, Jessie fell in love with Cloud.

Jessie beamed and grabbed the boy's hand, pulling him up the stairs.

"We'd better get inside before the teacher has a meltdown." Jessie advised. "Do you know what a meltdown is?"

Cloud nodded, his mother saying she would have one whenever his older brother practiced drumming in the basement.

Jessie stopped, one hand on the doorknob.

"Oh and don't worry about not having friends; that's what I'm for!"

Cloud smiled and they walked through the door.

X

Kk there.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi! Oh I want to establish that all the FF characters in the previous chapter were indeed the older ones. Not the KH versions.

Uh...yeah don't own it.

Xion~

"Dad, what is going on? What do these people want with Roxas? What is a Keyblade? How does Roxas have one?" I pestered.

Dad sighed the I'm-exhausted-and-just-saw-two-of-my-best-friends-get-killed-being-a-dad-is-so-hard sigh. Successfully making me feel bad.

But Roxas and I deserved answers.

"They're trying to kill all the SOLDIERS. Roxas is a SOLDIER. It's a weapon of light-and sometimes darkness-granted to only some people. The only way to wield a Keyblade is by inheriting it from someone close to you when they die; Zack died and Roxas inherited his Keyblade." my dad answered bluntly.

Roxas~

I stood numbly by Xion as Cloud flipped out a thin silver cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Tif-yeah yeah I'm sorry. We had an emergency."

Then he went on to explain what happened.

"I'm gonna call an ambulance."

Tifa said something.

"Don't worry; I'v got a plan." he hung up.

He dialed another number "Hey, Rude. It's Cloud."

I could hear the other man's voice "Really? It's a good thing you told me. I might've thought it was my mother calling on the emergency number I only gave you!" his voice was deep and serious.

"Whatever, listen; I need an ambulance for five. One injured, two dead and two passengers."

Two dead?

"What have you been doing, Cloud?" the man asked.

"No questions. Just get me a story and an underground room. Got it?"

"Yes." the man replied "Anything else?"

Cloud's eyes moved to the door, as if expecting someone to come in.

"Yeah. Can you...can you find out where Squall Leonhart is?"

"L-E-O-N-H-A-R-T?" the man spelled.

"Yep that's it." Xion's dad nodded.

"I'll ask Elena what she can find." the man told him.

"One more thing,"

"Yes?"

"Reno."

Aqua's boyfriend...?

"Last I heard, he's in Twilight Town. He's got a kid."

Cloud's face would've been funny on a normal day.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't worry; it's not like that. He found the boy on the streets a little after..." his voice trailed away.

Cloud closed his eyes "Right. Um...just get here soon."

"Soon? Look out the window."

We all turned to the window next to the door and saw a white ambulance outside. A man, not unlike the man who had informed Vexen of Sora's death, stepped out, unloaded two gurneys from the back and came to the door.

"Rude." Cloud said once the man was in the room.

The man nodded. Xion looked at me "Is that his name?"

I shrugged.

Rude picked up my dad and laid him on one of the gurneys. Cloud walked over to Jessie and put her on the other gurney.

Cloud and Xion got into the back seats in front of the medical hold, I took passenger and Rude drove.

He didn't try to make conversation, and I was glad. I didn't have my book and I just wanted to exist in a fog of sorrow for a few minutes.

We got to the hospital. Dad and Jessie were taken off to who-knows-where, Rude escorted me to the reception desk. A man with long black hair looked at us.

His name tag said Tseng, and I wondered how you would say that. Then I realized what a useless thought that was.

"What?" he looked at us as if our mere presence was a waste of his time.

"Strife." Rude said simply.

Tseng (Sang? T-song?) nodded and said "Top floor. Room 13."

We walked down a long white hall. White doors that held sick and dying people. On each door was a number.

We came to a white elevator that brought us to another white hall.

I noticed that the doors up here had roman numerals on them. Weird.

At the end of the hall, on the second-to-last door, was the number XIII.

Rude pushed open the door. It held a white room.

"A nurse will be here shortly." he told us, before abruptly leaving.

Cloud guided me to the bed. I sat down as they pulled a couple of plastic chairs up in front of me.

Xion tugged at the drawstring on her pajama pants. Cloud leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs.

"Guys, these people know everything about SOLDIER and AVALANCHE. So there's no need for secrets."

We nodded and Xion opened her mouth to say something, but the door creaked open and a woman walked in.

She was gorgeous.

The woman had very long brown hair held up by a yellow ribbon, and chocolate colored eyes. Her name tag read 'Lucrecia'.

The woman was beautiful, and yet, she didn't know it. That much was obvious. Just by the way she carefully pushed the door open carefully, how she walked.

"Hello. My name is Lucrecia." she smiled sweetly and suddenly, I saw my mother. They looked just alike.

"I'm terribly sorry, but family has to wait in the Grey Area. That's the room at the start of the hall, to the left." she apologized.

Cloud nodded and gestured for Xion to get up. They moved the chairs back and left.

Lucrecia pulled a small notepad and a pencil out of her lab coat and handed them to me.

She took a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a napkin from one of the cabinets across from the bed.

"Did they do a mako infusion?" she asked, then began to clean my wounds.

I nodded, then winced slightly at the sting.

She sighed, looking up at me sadly.

"Roxas...that's your name, right?" I nodded.

"And you have Siceforia?" Lucrecia seemed to be analyzing me.

I nodded again.

"Hm...Well we might be able to fix that."

And with that inkling of hope, she left.

XxX

Later, another nurse (this one with auburn hair and burnt orange eyes) came in and handed me a bundle of (are you sitting down?) white cloth.

"These are the clothes you'll wear while you are here." she smiled and I stared for a second, until she blushed heavily and turned around.

I stood and immediately felt nauseous. I took a deep breath.

I put on the clothes; white cotton pants, white shirt of the same material. I was glad I wasn't expected to wear a hospital gown (shudder), especially considering the abundance of female nurses.

I tapped on the side table. The nurse turned. I read her name tag; Cissinei.

"We're going to give you a check up (what am I, five?). You're very young, so a mako infusion is incredibly straining on your body. Follow me."

I took one step forward, felt a sudden and overwhelming dizziness, and passed out.

Third person~

Cissinei heard a thud. She spun around and saw her patient on the floor, completely unconscious.

She knelt next to him and checked his pulse. Once she confirmed he was alive, she propped Roxas up on the wall.

His eyes opened. He looked around in alarm.

"You're awake." she breathed a sigh of relief.

Roxas knit his brow and began mouthing unintelligible words.

Cissinei put her hand on his shoulder "Calm down. You just passed out. Like I said, the mako infusion will put enormous stress on your body."

Roxas nodded, still feeling weak.

XxX

After his 'check up' Roxas staggered to his room and fell onto the bed.

He was exhausted after the day's events, and fell asleep immediately.

X

Ok well, I'll try to update as much as possible over Thanksgiving.

Happy Turkey Day!


	13. Chapter 13

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 13

Roxas Strife lay sleeping in his bed. In the adjacent bedroom, his sister, Kairi, was screaming and crying. Her father, Zack, was trying desperately to calm her down. He didn't want to wake his wife or son, so Zack had chosen to handle the matter himself.

But this tactic was failing.

So he rushed to Roxas' room. He shook the sleeping boy lightly.

Roxas sat up and looked at his father sleepily. He blinked, silently asking Zack 'Why did you wake me up?'

"Roxas! Kairi...she had another nightmare. Can you...?"

Roxas nodded, yawned and padded to his sister's room.

He crawled onto the bed and sat at Kairi's feet. The little girl was crying so hard she didn't even notice him.

Roxas began to sing the only song that would calm her: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are."

Kairi's cries were silenced. She stared at her brother with wide eyes.

"Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are."

"B-but Roxas. There's no stars!" Kairi pointed to the window.

"Maybe not in the sky, but those aren't the only stars you know." the boy replied.

"Really? Where else?" she asked curiously.

He pointed at her face "In your eyes!"

The redheaded girl leaped out of bed and ran to the mirror mounted on the wall. "Where? I don't see any stars!" Kairi exclaimed. Roxas slipped off the bed and to her side.

"You gotta look really close!"

Kairi pressed her face to the glass surface. She stared into her irises.

A sparkle. Faint, but still there.

"Oh! I do have stars in my eyes!" she looked at her brother euphorically. Then, confusedly.

"Why are there stars in my eyes?"

"Do you remember what time you were born?" Roxas asked.

Kairi tilted her head back slightly "Uh...9:00 pm?"

Roxas nodded "Yup. You were born at night. And stars are out at night. So, your eyes are filled with stars!" he explained.

"What about people born in the daytime?"

He smiled "They have clouds in their eyes. Which means they change colors."

"Wow..." Kairi murmured, amazed.

"Roxas?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"What are your eyes filled with?" she tried to use the same words he did, to sound smart.

"Well...I was born at twilight. So my eyes are filled halfway with stars and halfway with clouds." he answered proudly.

Kairi crossed her arms "No fair."

Roxas smiled "Your right, it's not fair. But you know what, Kairi?"

She uncrossed her arms "What?"

"Your eyes are special. They're green."

"So?"

"Is the sky green?"

She pursed her lips "No."

"Exactly. So that's why your eyes are special." he told her.

She beamed "Your right!"

Zack watched from the doorway. He smiled slightly at his children, then felt a pair of pale arms circle his waist.

"They are so sweet." Aerith rested her chin on his shoulder, just barley able to reach.

Zack turned his head "I-I'm sorry! I tried to calm her down before you woke up!" he apologized.

His wife smiled "It's alright. But you should have known Roxas was the only one who could settle her."

"Heh heh...well...I am pretty tired y'know. Lack of sleep does things to people."

Aerith laughed "Then maybe you should go to bed. I'll put Roxas down."

"Fine. But I wanna know something first."

"What?"

He turned and pressed his forehead to her's "Are your eyes filled with stars or clouds?"

Roxas~

I sat up in bed, panting. The dream came back and I made a quick assessment:

My subconscious hates me.

Xion~

"Dad!" I yelled. He lifted his head from the pillow and glared at me.

"What now, Xion?"

"When is Roxas gonna be released?"

"Today. Go back to bed." he replied flatly.

"When today?"

"Mm...*yawn* noon...?"

I could barley sit still. Roxas had been in the hospital for a week, (ok, three days) no visitors allowed. In the meantime, my parents were planning Zack and Kairi's funeral, which would be a joint affair.

The funeral was in three days, so the release date made sense.

Noon finally came. Dad drove me to the hospital. We went to Roxas' room.

Roxas~

Lucrecia came in.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

I picked up my notebook and answered 'Fine.'

She nodded and I continued to write 'What you said the first day, about fixing my Siceforia, did you mean it?'

She read the note and smiled "Yes. There is a procedure for members of SOLDIER, to repair their birth defects."

Those were (well...sort of) the words I've wanted to hear for years.

"But...it is very dangerous." Lucrecia told me.

I shook my head 'I don't care. I'll try anything.'

She pressed her lips together "Alright. It won't cost you anything, because of the risk. You can undergo the operation after the funeral."

Did these people know everything about my life?!

The door opened. Cloud and Xion walked in.

Xion~

I flung the door open and entered the room. Roxas was sitting on the bed, holding a notebook.

The nurse from the first day was standing in front of him. I ran past her and threw my arms around my friend.

I felt him tense, I pulled away. "What's wrong-?" I gasped.

Dark bruises covered his arms, a strip of gauze was wrapped around his forehead.

"Roxas..." l made a realization "Did I...hurt you?"

He shook his head and the nurse began to speak. "We were just talking about the operation."

"So you've decided?" Dad asked Roxas, who nodded.

Operation? I thought.

"Operation?" I then voiced.

Dad nodded "Roxas is going to have an operation...sort a...to fix his Siceforia."

I looked at Roxas. He smiled.

"Is it dangerous?" I asked.

The woman nodded solemnly. "There is a 37% chance of survival. Possibly lower due to the difficulty of the operation."

Uh...lot's of big words, there.

The nurse led my dad to another room to 'explain the procedure'. She gave Roxas back his street clothes. I turned my back while he changed.

"Roxas...I...uh.." why is talking to him so hard now?!

"We went to your apartment and um...got all your stuff. I-if you need to go back..."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Roxas standing behind me, a worried expression on his face.

'Is something wrong?' he asked.

I pretty much lost it there.

I ran forward to him, then buried my face in his shoulder.

"Roxas!" I started to cry "I was s-so s-scared!" my tears soaked his shirt.

Silence...silence...silence...

Suddenly, I felt his arms wrap around me. He held me close as I sobbed.

"I...thought you were going to die. Back in the old mansion." I murmured.

Roxas didn't do anything. He didn't have to.

XxX

We were in the car, driving to the funeral. Roxas was asleep, which was to be expected. The doctors said he was still very, very weak, so he would be sleeping a lot and would get dizzy and disoriented easily. And after the operation, it would be waaayyy worse, apparently.

Roxas wore one of my dad's old suits. Black tie and everything. I, on the other hand, was looking depressing in a knee-length black dress and black ballet flats (blegh). All in all, it wasn't that bad, I guess. My parents donned equally dark outfits.

The blonde next to me woke a few miles away from the funeral. He looked around and then over to me.

"Almost there." I whispered. He nodded.

We got to the funeral (a clearing behind an abandoned church where Roxas' mom lived before she met Zack). Roxas opened the door before the car stopped. He ran to the woods.

He disappeared.


	14. Chapter 14

Did anybody catch my typo in the last chapter? I said Roxas Strife instead of Roxas Fair XP. If you caught it...you will have a dream about Roxas tonight!

Chapter 14

Oh wait! I don't own nuthin'!

Xion~

My dad slammed the brakes. I would've been getting quite personal with the windshield if not for my seatbelt.

Mom put her hand on his arm as Dad was about to get out.

"Tifa, we have to go get-"

"No, we don't." she interrupted. "He's not running away. Not for good, at least. He probably doesn't want to be there. And I didn't want to go to my dad's funeral, either."

"Tifa, you were in the hospital. You couldn't go." Dad reminded.

She crossed her arms. "Shut up and drive."

XxX

We arrived at the funeral. Just in front of the treeline were two caskets. One white, the other dark blue.

Not many people had showed up, only about...twenty, counting us.

Selphie, Tidus Shot (the II, don'tcha know?), and Wakka Blitz (also the II) sat in the second row. A man that looked exactly like Tidus, only taller, and a woman with short brown hair sat behind them. On the same row was a man with tanned skin and orange hair, siting next to a woman with long black hair holding a small girl on her lap.

A/N Uh...I got Tidus' name from an attack (Jecht Shot) and as for Wakka...well, I just felt too lazy to get something more creative.

Riku, Hayner, Pence and Olette were in the front. It was pretty weird seeing them all in black, considering what happy kids they usually were.

I then noticed the guys in the back. A man with black hair wearing dark magenta, a small woman with orangish hair who I could've sworn I saw at the hospital, and a very pale silver-haired man with scary green eyes.

Third Person~

Cloud glared at Sephiroth, who smiled tauntingly.

"What are you doing here?" the blonde growled.

"What? Can't I mourn the loss of my friend?" Sephiroth feined surprize.

"Friend? You never saw Zack as anything more than a nuisance!" Cloud was trying his best to keep his voice a whisper.

Tifa reached over Xion and grabbed her husband's hand and squeezed it to tell him to quiet down.

"If you must know," Sephiroth murmured "I'm here with my son. He can't drive quite yet."

Cloud tried to cover his shock. But that was very impossible.

They waited for a few more minutes to see if anyone else was arriving (no one was) then Cloud walk to the front.

"Um. We're here today to mourn Zack and Kairi Fair." he began somewhat awkwardly, never being very good at...talking to...anyone...

"Zack was my best friend...he saved my life...more times than I can count. He was always the energy in the room, sort of insane half the time. Um...his son..Roxas...couldn't be here..."

Sephiroth leaned slightly closer to Xion and whispered "What kind of kid runs away from his family's funeral?"

Xion's eyes widened for a moment before hissing a reply "I think you just answered your own question."

Cloud separated Xion and Sephiroth soon enough, his speech over. The man next to Sephiroth got up.

"Zack and I were friends...back when we were kids. He saved my life as well, quite a bit."

Once he was done, the auburned haired lady rose and somewhat glided to the front.

"Yeah, Zack had quite a knack for saving people. He saved me once or twice, asked me out several times, and...I'll really miss him."

Xion~

After a couple more speeches that began with "Zack was...", my dad nudged me to get up. I was supposed to finish Zack's memorial speeches and start Kairi's.

"Zack was sort of my second dad. He tried to adopt me a lot, and I was always welcome. Zack could be a friend to anyone who let him in. And although sometimes he acted like a kid, he was a great dad."

I heard some sniffling from...somewhere...so I guess I did well.

"And Kairi...heh where to begin? She fit in everywhere, was friends with everyone...she was so kind. She died too young...but I guess she's happy to be with Sora again."

Selphie bursted into tears. Tidus awkwardly put his arm around her and Wakka just sat there with this panicked expression.

Something caught my eye. Leaning against a tree in the back, was a man. He wore dark clothes and had medium-length black hair. Was is the light, or did the man have a single, white, angel wing on his back?

I sat down.

Speechesspeechesspeeches.

Riku got up and walked to the front.

"Kairi was my friend. She was a constant in my life and I really took her for granted, thinking she would always be there. I will never forgive myself and I will never forget Kairi."

Tears. Oh how they flow.

Moving on, the funeral ended, dad was to bury the caskets. Mom waited in the car and I snuck into the old church.

Old pews had been strewn around the sanctuary. Light poured in through holes in the ceiling, giving everything a heavenly look. In the center, before the altar, was a large circle of flowers.

I knelt in front of the plants. On the floor, someone had carved out something. I leaned in closer and giggled slightly.

ZF+AG

I looked around some more. There was a crate with some medical supplies, a silver helmet and an ID. Though the plastic was old and worn, I could still read the name:

Cloud Strife.

Dad?

I walked up to the altar and found another engraving:

AG+CS

Dad used to like Aerith? Huh.

I stood and looked towards the door.

There he was.

The man with the angel wing.

X

Who is it? Who is it? Can you guess? It's pretty obvious who Sephiroth's son is. And the guy with him...guess!


	15. Chapter 15

I am in an updating frenzy!

Disclaimer: If it's owned by somebody else, I don't own it. And Kingdom Hearts is owned by somebody else, as well as Final Fantasy.

Chapter 15

Roxas~

I ran into the tree line, tripping over my own feet as well as roots and stones.

I was so weak. I was drowning in pain meds and mako. I was so tired. I could barley stay awake walking down the hall at home, how the heck do I keep conscious running through the woods?

The answer is: I don't.

I collapsed only about a hundred yards from the edge of the forest.

"Wake up." someone whispered.

I opened my eyes, but everything was foggy.

"Oh, good." the voice said.

My vision cleared and leaning over me was one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen.

Cross that, THE most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.

She had wavy, sunbeam colored hair that framed a porcelain face. Sparkling, dusty blue eyes gazed down at me. Pale lips curved in a smirk.

Angel? Though she couldn't hear my thoughts, I still felt like a complete idiot.

"My name's Naminé." she put her hand to her collar.

I mouthed words like I do when I get flustered.

Naminé tittered and raised her hand to my face, gently stroking my cheek. I felt a burning sensation.

I winced. Naminé smiled again.

She closed my eyes, I was too paralyzed to breathe.

Third Person~

The children sat beside the boy. They had been taking a walk when they heard a large crash. The source had been a teenage boy.

The girl-only about eight or nine-quickly found some herbs for his cuts and bruises.

They waited.

The girl toyed with her braided brown hair and the boy-thirteen, perhaps?-fidgeted with some old gauze on his right hand.

"He kind of looks like Cloud." the girl noted. Her companion looked over and observed the teen.

"You're right. Maybe he's related to him..."

The older boy's face twitched in his sleep.

"Should we try to wake him up?" the girl asked. The other child (young teen, excuse me!) cocked his head slightly.

"Mm...yeah, we shou-" he noticed the boy's necklace "Oh my g-"

"Denzel!" the girl scolded. Denzel shook his head.

"Look...this was Aerith's." he pointed at the chain.

The boy laying on the ground was disturbed by the commotion of the two, and woke up.

Riku~

I stood outside the old church. My parents were arguing behind me.

I stared up at the church, wondering how it was still in one piece, when I saw Xion sneak up the steps and through the door.

I waited a while but she didn't come out. I got worried.

I walked inside.

Xion~

The man began to walk forward.

I looked around and found a sword. It seemed to be made up of six different blades. I raised the weapon. "Don't get any closer!" I called "I've got a sword!"

Was my voice really shaking that much?

The man was in front of me now.

"Calm yourself." he said in a low, wise voice.

"Who are you?" I demanded, trying to sound at least remotely threatening.

But I dropped my sword.

"I am a friend, don't worry."

"I meant your name." I clarified quietly.

"Angeal." he replied and disappeared, leaving me to wonder if he had meant "Angel" and if not, how ironic his name was.

"Xion!" a voice called. I looked up and saw Riku running towards me.

"Oh, hi Riku." I greeted.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Looking around, waiting for my parents." I shrugged "How 'bout you?"

We began walking up the isle to the door.

"I'm waiting for my parents, too. They're arguing over...something..."

We got outside.

"Hm...I don't think I've met your parents."

Riku laughed dryly. "You don't want to."

"Riku!" someone yelled. I looked around and a very undesirable sight met my eyes: the silver-haired man from the funeral was stalking towards us. He stopped in front of us and I saw a petite woman with silver hair and a bored expression behind him.

Riku glared.

"What do you want, dad?"

Riku~

My dad clamped his hand on my shoulder.

"Riku, don't run off like that." he growled, I rolled my eyes.

"Who's your friend?" Mom asked.

"This is Xion Strife." I grumbled.

Mom raised her eyebrows "Ooh, Strife? Heh, Sephy, the daughter of your enemy is Riku's girlfriend!" she laughed.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I shouted.

"Shut up Paine!" my father growled (he does that a lot)

Mom looked at her watch. "We've got to go, Seph."

Dad nodded and steered me towards the car.

I ran my fingers through my silver hair, inherited from both halves of the post-bickering pair with me.

In contrast to their genders, my father had long, straight hair while my mother had a short, spiky 'do. And, like they don't mortify me enough, they always where black leather.

In the car Dad started to lectured me.

"Riku, I want you to stay away from that girl."

"Why?" I demanded.

"I don't like the Strifes."

"But-!"

"No."

"At least give me a reasonable why not."

Dad sighed "You see, Cloud Strife is at the very bottom of all human existence. So far below us, him and his child, they aren't even worth mentioning. But Cloud can't except that. So he tries to be a hero, but only succeeds in getting in the real heroes' ways."

I shook my head. "I don't care about your petty rivalry with Cloud Strife. It has nothing to do with me."

I was sitting in the seat behind passenger so I could see Dad's face.

He smirked.

Roxas~

This time when I opened my eyes, I didn't see Naminé. Two kids knelt beside me.

The girl had a long braid tied up in a pink ribbon. She wore a sleeveless white dress. The boy had wavy light brown hair that partially covered a bruise on his forehead.

"Oh, good. Your awake!" the girl smiled.

I nodded cautiously.

"What's your name?" she asked.

I pointed to my throat and shook my head.

"You...can't talk?" the boy interpreted.

I nodded. He pulled a notebook out of his cargo pocket, along with a pencil.

'My name's Roxas.'

"I'm Marleen!" the girl piped. She pointed at the boy. "He's Denzel."

"Why were you unconscious in the woods?" Denzel wondered.

'I'm injured and on medication. I overexerted myself.'

"Where did you get that necklace?" he pointed at the silver trinket.

'My dad.'

"Do you know where he got it?"

"Denzel." Marleen put her hand on his shoulder.

"Marleen, I'v got to know what happened to Aerith!"

My eyes just about popped outta my head.

'Aerith? Aerith Gainsborough?'

Denzel nodded "Do you know her?"

'She's my mother.'

They beamed. "Where is she?"

I looked down and wrote 'She's dead.'

X

Hahaha! I bet I blew all of your minds! Yes, Riku's dad is Sephiroth! Paine and Sephiroth were really OOC but I guess parenthood can do that to ya. Also, I don't really know Paine's personallity. I havn't played in FF games she was in and didn't pay much attention to the Gullwings in KH, only wondered why they were super-annoying faries. And I'll explain why Denzel and Marleen are still kids...later. And to anyone who played CC, you know who Angeal is.

Is Naminé evil? Perhaps, perhaps...mwahahahahaha!

...maybe I'm the evil one. O.O


	16. Chapter 16

Welcome back to Silence Never to be Broken! I'm considering changing the name to Inheritance, for obvious reasons. Don't know...ooh, I'll put a poll up on my profile to see what you guys think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or a computer.

Chapter 16

Third Person~

"D-dead?" Marleen stuttered.

Roxas nodded sadly.

"So...Aerith was your mom...which means...Cloud must be your dad!" Denzel reasoned.

Roxas stared at him, then shook his head slowly. 'My dad's name is-' he stopped and erased 'is'. He rewrote his message so it read 'My dad's name was Zack Fair.'

"Hm. I guess Aerith said no..." Marleen mumbled, sort of sadly.

'What do you mean?'

"Well, about...seventeen years ago, Cloud asked Aerith to marry him. We never got to know what she said, though."

Then a realization hit the silent teen before them.

'How do you know my mom?'

Denzel winced. Marleen chewed her lip.

"It's a reeaaalllllyy long story." Marleen murmured.

'I got time.' Roxas replied, leaning against a tree trunk.

Denzel sighed. "When we were a few years younger, we were kidnapped by the Shinra Electric Company. Your dad's Zack, so you must know about SOLDIER and Shinra."

Roxas nodded and quickly wrote a question: 'Why would they capture two kids?'

"I was getting to that part. Well, they had successfully created a super human adult, so they wanted to know what happens when a child is infused with mako energy."

Roxas winced, remembering the painful process.

"The experiment was a disaster." Denzel interrupted his thoughts. "It gave me Geostigma, a bad cell decease, and halted our bodies' growth forever."

Roxas was pretty stunned.

He began to write but Marleen reached out and put her hand on his. "It's ok." she whispered, as if she knew exactly what he was going to say.

Marleen smiled slightly. "Ok, we've told you about us. Now you have to tell us about you."

He told them everything.

From his mother getting killed to meeting Xion to the threats from AVALANCHE to his own kidnapping and mako infusion.

By the time he was done, it was dusk.

'I should get back.' he told them, before standing. The two still on the ground nodded.

"When will we see you again?" Marleen asked, tugging on her braid.

Roxas shrugged 'I'll try to knock myself out again real soon.' he promised.

"Roxas?" Denzel said. "Can...can you tell Cloud we're alright? He tends to blame himself for everything and we don't want him to worry."

Roxas nodded and set off.

XxX

Cloud stood at the edge of the woods where Roxas had disappeared. They seemed endless

Roxas sat in a tree branch, having figured he would be sleeping in the forest. He hadn't a drop of energy left, not an ounce of strength.

He heard footsteps from the direction of civilization. Cloud came into view. He looked up at Roxas.

"Hey, kid." he said. Roxas waved a little.

"Come on, we gotta get home."

With difficulty, Roxas had his feet on solid ground in a few minutes.

The two began walking.

When they got back to Cloud's car, Roxas noticed the vehicle was empty.

"I took Xion and Tifa home." Cloud told him.

Can everyone read my thoughts? Roxas wondered.

Before Cloud put the key in the ignition, Roxas wrote a question: 'Are you mad?'

Cloud smiled slightly. "No. I get it. I'm not mad."

The car ride was silent, of course.

They got home and nothing was said about Roxas running away, or the funeral. He didn't tell Cloud about Denzel and Marleen, wanting to actually tell him. You know?

Roxas noticed Xion staring at him.

'What?' he mouthed.

She pointed to his face. "You've got a huge scratch on your cheek."

Roxas looked in the mirror over the mantle.

Sure enough, there was a long gash down the side of his face. It curved from his temple to the corner of his lips.

The scratch seemed to be new, barley closed.

Roxas shrugged and dismissed it as a scrape from a tree branch.

Everyone went to bed and Roxas' last thought before he went to sleep was

_I might die tomorrow._

X

Yeah...this chapter seemed pretty rushed. But I wanna get to the operation! Lots of exiting stuff...;)

Don't forget to vote and review! Or else...:P


	17. Chapter 17

I did it! Yeah! I'm exited about the next few chapters so they'll be comin' out pretty fast.

Disclaimer: You get it!

Chapter 17

Roxas~

"Wake up!" a voice yelled.

Ah! I thought, bolting up.

I busted my head on...something halfway up. I opened my eyes to see Xion laying on the floor, her hands on her forehead.

"Owwie...why'd ya do that?" she moaned.

I rolled my eyes and got out of bed. I picked out some clothes from the closet and stared at Xion, who was still accommodating the floor.

She blushed and scurried out.

I put on my chain (not smart to sleep in that. Great way to get stabbed.) and went to breakfast.

Tifa had tried to cook again resulting in inexplicably mashed toast and burnt oranges.

Xion and I climbed into Cloud's car. The owner of said car stood in the doorway with his wife. He leaned down and kissed her, we both gagged, Cloud slid into the driver's seat.

I tapped my fingers nervously on my leg. After a few minutes, Xion put her hand on mine.

"Don't worry Roxas. Everything is going to be fine." she whispered, smiling sweetly. Making me feel a little better.

But then we arrived at the hospital.

I started to feel sick.

We walked up to the front desk. Tseng was writing on a piece of paper. Cloud opened his mouth to speak but Tseng raised his hand to keep him silent.

"Yes, I know. Lucrecia!" he called. The nurse appeared.

"Ready, Roxas?" she smiled.

I shook my head. Lucrecia laughed and began walking down the hall.

_The bright white halls stretched into oblivion. _

We went to the top floor like last time.

_The sterile, antiseptic smell was suffocating._

Cloud and Xion had to stay in the Grey Area.

_My footsteps were deafening._

I was to stay in room XIII.

_Lucrecia's smile was sadistic._

I changed into the white cotton clothes. Lucrecia put her hand on my arm.

_Her touch burned as if her fingers were hot irons._

I was taken to the operating room, where a young-looking docter with mousy brown hair was waiting.

He smiled "You're Roxas, right?"

No, I'm an evil clone that will take over the world. Please.

"I'm doctor Klause."

I sat down on the operating table. He explained the procedure to me.

"I'm going to cut right here," he touched the somewhat sensitive place under my right ear. "and repair the broken satellite-type nerve that sends the signal from your brain to your vocal cords. If all goes well, you should be talking by noon."

I didn't like the word 'if' in that sentence.

"Is there anything you want?" asked Lucrecia.

I nodded numbly and wrote my request.

Xion~

I tapped my fingers on the arm of the concrete chair. I was so worried. My dad wasn't much better. He paced back and forth behind a concrete sofa.

The brunette nurse-Lucrecia, I think-walked in, her red heels making loud tapping sounds as she walked.

"Xion Strife?" she asked. I nodded hard.

My dad actually stopped pacing!

"Mm...Roxas...wants you to be in the operation room. At least until he's under. Do you mind?"

"Yes! I mean um...no..I mean yes I want to!"

"Ok, this way." she lead me down the hall.

We got to the operation room. Roxas was sitting on a white padded table. A man in his early twenties stood next to a silver rack.

I walked to Roxas and took his hand, which was shaking.

"You're Xion, right?" the man-the doctor, assumably-asked.

No, I'm an alien that will destroy the universe. Please.

"Ok, Roxas I'm going to put you under, then we'll start the operation."

Roxas~

I know it's sounds weak, but I needed Xion there.

Dr. Klause told me he was going to put me under (that term is getting annoying).

He put some cold cream stuff on back of the hand Xion wasn't holding. A while later, he injected a plastic needle into the area, which was numb now.

Naturally, I flinched when he brought the needle out but tried not to show any more discomfort.

The needle was then attached to an IV. Some funny liquid started dripping into my hand.

I felt woozy and lightheaded. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was sleep.

Everything was fuzzy and random spots of color seemed to flash everywhere.

"Roxas...I...want...you...to...count backwards...from...ten..." Dr. Klause told me. His voice seemed to get really loud, then really soft. Really high, then really low.

Ten...

Xion's face came into view, she seemed worried.

Nine...

"Roxas...everything...will be...alright..."

Eight...

Wow...Xion looks really pretty...

Seven...

I wonder if she'll marry me when this is over...

Six...

Whoa...look at the ceiling...

Five...

Hehehe...hehehe...

Four...

I hope my voice sounds like Alvin. From that chipmunk movie...

Three...

OH MY GOSH THERE'S A DRAGON!

Two...

I'm sleepy...

On...zzz...

Xion~

Roxas' head fell forward, signaling he was out.

Dr. Klause took a scalpel from the silver rack. My heart started beating.

He cleaned it off with an alcohol wipe and swabbed the area of Roxas' skin as well.

He turned to me. "You can leave now, Miss Strife." I couldn't tell if he was trying to protect me or if he just wanted the annoying teen out of the room.

I shook my head. "I wanna be here when he wakes up." I told him stubbornly.

He smiled slightly, then turned back to Roxas.

I almost fainted when he sliced into Roxas' neck. Because he was asleep, there was minimal blood, but you'd feel sick too if your best friend was getting cut open by some stranger.

I told myself I would be strong and stay in the room for the full half-hour.

I only made it three minutes.

In three minutes, I was across the hall throwing up into the toilet.

I wiped my mouth off and slid down the wall. I hugged my legs to my chest, hanging my head.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. I can't do it."

X

Yes I did do two updates in a day! How's that for fast? I knew it would be bugging me if I didn't post it, so I started working on this chapter right after 16 and didn't stop (except to eat)! Um...tell me whatcha think and stuff...

Oh and none of the medical stuff in this chapter is fact. Except the IV drip part, I found that procedure on the net.


	18. Chapter 18

Welcome back to Inheritance (cuz nobody's voted so I decided on my own...). And thank you for reading this far!

Anyways...here's chapter 18!

Xion~

The auburn-haired nurse was sent to get me. She put her hand on my back and steered me down the hall. The taste of puke was still defiling my tongue.

We arrived at the Grey Area. My dad was reading-big surprise to me-and didn't seem to notice when I sat down.

After a long while of silence and wondering if this awful taste would ever leave my mouth, I said: "What are you reading?"

He looked up and at the cover, as if he had forgotten.

"Needed Goodbye. Listen to this: 'Though she is a diamond, and he is dazzled by her brilliance, you are the light. And he is not intrigued by you because you, like the sun, are always there. As he believes you always will be.'"

"Wow. I didn't know you liked poetry, Dad."

He tossed the book on the concrete table. "I don't. It was just really popular when I was younger, but I never had time to read it. But now that I can..." he looked at it and shook his head, causing his spiky hair to whip around his face.

"Why didn't you have time?" I wondered aloud.

"Well...I was working for Shinra, so I couldn't really." he shrugged, picking up a magazine labeled "Game Informer" an began flipping through it.

Shinra...wait...

"Were you in SOLDIER?" I asked, a bit baffled.

He smiled sheepishly "No. I was with security, basically a step below SOLDIER."

I picked up the book and examined the cover. On the front were three people: a beautiful blonde girl that looked like an angel, a shy-looking boy smiling at her, and a dark haired girl standing back-to-back with him. I started reading.

It didn't make to much sense, but I got the gist of it.

A boy and a girl lives in the same neighborhood. They had been best friends since they were kids. The girl secretly loves the boy. One day, a beautiful girl moves in and the boy falls in love with her. They get older and eventually the boy asks the beautiful girl to marry him. This breaks the other girl's heart. The newly wed couple moves far away. Before they leave, the girl promises the boy that she will always wait for him. Even if he doesn't return.

The couple was about to leave when Mrs. (she had to be married) Lucrecia came in.

"The operation is over, would you like to wait for Roxas to wake up?" she asked *smile*.

I tucked Needed Goodbye into my cargo pants pocket and we followed her out.

Roxas had been taken back to his room. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose. Attached to that was a long tube-thing that was hooked up to a large metal machine. A few extra machines that watched his heart rate, breathing rate and blood sugar.

Dr. Klause stood next to the bed. "The anesthesia should be wearing off about now." he told us.

I buzzed with excitement. Roxas was going to talk again!

My dad and I stood, anticipation coming off us in tsunamis.

Minutes passed.

"W-why isn't he waking up?" I asked Dr. Klause. He looked at the clipboard in his hand.

"Well..." he paused, thinking. Once he decided he had a good enough answer, the doctor continued to speak.

"Roxas may be more sensitive to the drug than other people. There's nothing to be worried about." he smiled sincerely.

Why do the people in this stupid hospital smile so much?!

More time ticked by.

Dr. Klause whispered something to Lucrecia and pointed at the screen that showed Roxas' heartbeat.

"What's wrong?!" I shouted.

Dad put his hand on my arm. "Xion. Calm down."

I turned to Roxas. He seemed to flinch in his sleep.

"Why won't he wake up?" I whispered.

XxX

Third Person~

DiZ sat before the panel of computers.

Naminé stood behind him, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Please! I want to...want to..." she shivered with joy.

DiZ shivered with disgust. "I know exactly what you want to do. But we can't afford any more deaths. Even if it's just a civilian."

"LET ME OUT YOU DERANGED-!" a man's angry voice let out a string of curse words from the locked room to DiZ's left.

DiZ sighed. "Go on. Shut him up."

Naminé squealed with glee and threw open the blue door.

For a split second before she dashed in, DiZ could see a brunette man tied to a chair, struggling greatly. He had an X-shaped scar across his face.

The door closed.

"G-get away from me!" the man shouted, trying to keep the fear from his voice.

A maniacal laugh, a scream.

Silence.

Naminé left the room. Her previously white dress and pale hands were spattered with blood.

She grinned at DiZ, though he was focused on the screen in front of him.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" he asked, but it seemed like he couldn't care less.

"No. That would have been doing him a favor." she looked like an angel that had been trapped on Earth, and gone insane.

"You do a lot of people favors, then."

Her smile could give you a cavity and make you scream at the same time. "Well I'm a very nice person."

X

Poor guy. But who is he? It'll be obvious to most of you FF fans, and maybe a few KH fanatics. And I don't know why I made the characters in Needed Goodbye look like Roxas Naminé and Xion. But whatever. If you don't like the new name...vote or PM me. Or live with it.


	19. Chapter 19

Hi! I wanna quickly say thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorited and PMed me with suggestions.

This chapter isn't too terrific, so don't have high expectations. But there are some veeerrry important parts.

Oh and quick note to Zigbon: The new name does have meaning: Roxas _inherited_ the SOLDIER genes (can't do that in the game 'less your Sephiroth), and Keyblades can be _inherited_ in this world and some...other stuff that I can't tell you.

Anyway-Chapter 19

Oh and yes I do own something! The idea for this story! Ok not really but...if you steal the idea from me I will have my evil genius friends hunt you down over the internet and...get...you. Mwahahaha.

Xion~

I was so mad.

Why did I have to be in school? Roxas was in a freaking coma while I was researching the Albanian mountain monkey. While I was testing some theorem in math, the doctors were testing his blood. In history, as I was listening to a lecture on the Great Depression, he stopped breathing and had to be revived. While I was practicing free-throws in gym, my parents were confirming a date to drop the life support.

The final bell rang and I ran to the hospital.

"Hey...Xion!" someone yelled as I was reaching the door that would get me out of this educational prison.

On instinct, I stopped.

Olette caught up to me and took her own sweet time catching her breath. I tapped my foot, completely convinced that if I didn't get to the hospital soon, it would get hit by a meteor or a stray alien space ship or something.

Finally, she spoke. "Are you ok? You've seemed kind of...I don't know...upset today." her emerald green eyes shone with concern.

"Yes I'm fine. And I have to go." I began to walk away but she grabbed my arm. I glared at her.

"Are you sure?" she looked into my eyes as if trying to read my thoughts.

"Yes! Now let me go!" I jerked myself from her grasp. She looked hurt but I didn't care ( well, not at the moment) I had to get going.

After almost getting hit by three Volkswagen beetles, two SUV's and one very angry smart car-driver, I was at the hospital.

I ran through the parking lot. The front doors were in sight when my toe snagged on something and I was sent flying.

I somehow wound up on my back, staring at the spinning sky above me.

After a few seconds I sat up (almost puked) and looked around to see what had tripped me.

A seashell.

Seriously? I thought. I was miles from the nearest beach, why was a seashell here, in a hospital parking lot?

But...it was interesting. It was a blue, thin spiral that faded to a dull gray at the end.

I pocketed the shell and ran into the hospital.

I dashed past the receptionist guy. "Stop!" he commanded. I froze and walked back.

"Name." he requested emotionlessly.

"Xion Strife." I tapped my fingers on the fake-granite counter top.

"Are you visiting?" he drawled.

He's just trying to keep me here!

"Yes."

"Who?"

Teeth grinding, I replied "Roxas Fair."

"And you are how old?" he hadn't looked up from the paper in front of him, on which he was writing.

"...Fifteen..." I mumbled, being aware of the "minors must have supervision" rule that this hospital lived by.

"Mm hm. Well since you are alone, you can't go in. If I see you go any further, you will have to leave."

He looked at me. Then promptly dropped his pen on the ground behind his desk.

"Oops. Clumsy me." he said slowly. He crouched to the floor.

"Oh!" I said, finally realizing what he was doing.

I sprinted off in the direction of the elevator. I looked over my shoulder and shouted "Thank you!" he waved absently, his eyes once again on the paper.

I got on the elevator and started to feel a little nervous. Next to the number 8 button, in little-yet-scary letters, were the words "MUST BE WITH AUTHORIZED PERSONAL."

The elevator doors opened and I crept out. I snuck down the hall as if I were the daughter of James Bond. Tiptoeing past doors and running in the spaces in between.

After what felt like a billion miles of white hallway, I got to room XIII.

I peeked in the little window on the door to see if anyone (besides Roxas) was in there.

I exhaled, no one was there.

Carefully, I turned the doorknob and slid into the room.

Roxas lay in the white bed, his breathing slow and even.

He could have been sleeping.

I sat down in the chair and took his hand. It was warm, was that a good sign? "Hi...Roxas..." I whispered. "I-I thought I'd come and visit you...if you don't mind, of course."

His fingers twitched. "So..."

Silence...

"Riveting conversation we're having." I mumbled.

I looked at Roxas sadly. Dr. Klause had called my dad and said the most likely cause of the coma was just that the operation failed. That made me feel worse.

Even if he did wake up, he still wouldn't be able to talk.

"I hope...I hope you aren't...you know..in pain or anything.." I told him lamely.

Roxas sighed in his sleep (unconsciousness, whatever).

My heart stopped.

In that sigh, I heard just a little of a boy's voice.

Roxas' voice.

Which means the operation wasn't a failure!

"Roxas...i-it worked." a few tears made their way out if my eyes. "B-but why...why..?"

"O-oh I got you this." I took the seashell out of my jacket pocket and set it on the bedside table.

Then I lost it completely.

In the midsts of my snotty, wet depression fit, someone came into the room and patted me softly on the back.

I looked up and saw the auburn-haired nurse (I couldn't see her name tag too well).

She smiled slightly.

*Moment of pitying silence*

She walked out of the room. A few minutes later, she came back. A little blue card was in her hand.

"Here. Now you can visit anytime you want. No more sneaking around like Al Capone."

I blushed then managed to say "I d-don't th-think A-Al Cap-pone sn-nuck ar-round."

She laughed. "No, I guess not."

She held her hand out to me. "I'm Cissinei."

I wiped my hand on my pants. "I'm Xion."

And that, ladies and gamers, is how the hospital became my second home.

X

Corny cheese I know. Forgive me. But...I got no other ideas. This wasn't the most important chapter in the world, but it had some vital parts. Next chapter is gonna be kinda...horror-ish I guess. So...(in the immortal words of Scar) BE PREPARED...!


	20. Chapter 20

I'm sorry! I know it's late at night amd you guys are probably trying to sleep, but I haf to finish this chapter tonight, so enjoy!

Chapter 20

Third Person~

DiZ and Naminé stood in the White Room. Naminé sat at the head of a long table, drawing.

DiZ stood behind her, thinking. Suddenly, Naminé looked up at him.

"Why can't I kill him?" she asked.

DiZ sighed "Because, if the last member of the Fair family is suddenly killed-like the rest of them-someone like that worthless Strife will come after us and destroy us. Look what happened the last time he broke in."

Naminé irritably crossed her arms. "I wasn't there." she grumbled.

"Stop pouting." DiZ commanded.

"Please!" she looked at the floor, then up at him.

DiZ sighed. "Fine. Go."

She jumped up, nearly busting heads with the large man behind her, and scampered out.

Xion~

I got home from school and dumped my stuff by the door.

I went to the fridge to get something to eat, when I saw a bright orange Sticky Note stuck to the cupboard.

"'XiXi, Dad and I have to work late, there's pizza in the fridge. Love you-Mom.' No parents, cold pizza. Am I at Roxas' house?" I grumbled, then felt guilty.

The phone rang. I picked it up. "Fair-I mean Strife resident's. Xion speaking."

"Yes, this is Eleana." a professional-sounding woman said. "I have a report on Roxas-(pause in which she read his last name off some paper) Fair. The one in-(yet another pause) a coma."

Yes because they're soo many comatose teenagers named Roxas.

"Yeah? What?" I asked, a little irked.

"He's awake. And the operation was a successes."

I tried to process what she'd just said.

"Hello?" she asked awkwardly.

I dropped the phone, leaving it dangling from the black cord, and sprinted out of the house. Not bothering to lock the door.

~x~

I ran through the hospital door.

"He's awake!" I called to Tseng, not noticing he wasn't there.

I jumped up and down slightly while the elevator rose.

I sprinted down the hall. I got to Roxas' room. The door was slightly open.

"Roxas!" I cried happily, bursting into the white space.

The room was empty.

The sheets had been pulled off the bed and onto the floor.

"What happe-" my voice died in my throat. For on the window was a blood red skull and crossbones. An A was in the middle of it's forehead.

"AVALANCHE." I whispered.

I was flying down the hall in a nanosecond, and through the front door in three.

I sped through Twilight Town with limitless energy. Dodging trashcans, civilians and the odd Moogle.

Ducking through the hole in the wall, I emerged in the hot, humid forest.

I couldn't see anything through my fear and the dark greenness (it's a word), thus I slammed into a tree trunk.

I bounced up, and though my forehead was gushing blood, I ran to a spot that was slightly less dark.

I bursted out of the suffocating collection of trees, AVALANCHE's base loomed in front of me.

After a moment's hesitation, I ran to and through the doors.

Like before, the main room was empty. I looked up the stairs and remembered Zack and my dad coming out of that door.

I emerged in a library. Well...sort of.

Where the floor should have been, was a hallowed out space.

I descended a flight of stairs. Two doors were in front of me.

I was wondering which one I should go through, when a horrible scream rang out.

I froze. "Was that...?" I shook my head. "Roxas...?"

I pushed open the door from which the terrible sound came from.

It was dark but my eyes adjusted quickly.

I saw a girl in white leaning over something, she was laughing insanely.

She stepped back and I could see blood dripping from her fingers.

Then I saw the body.

It was Roxas.

I pushed the girl away, she hit the wall and fell to the floor.

I leaned over my friend. Long claw marks decorated his arms and neck. Blood colored the tips of his blonde hair crimson.

"Roxas!"I gasped

His eyes were just barely opened. "Xion..." he breathed.

Tears poured from my eyes, falling like rain on his bloody hand.

"No...Roxas...no!" I sobbed.

He reached up with a slightly shaking hand and wiped away my tears.

"Xion...I..."

Suddenly, I felt four white-hot knives being dragged across my back. I screamed in pain.

And shot up in bed.

"Roxas!" I shouted. I leaped out of bed, ran down the hallway and out the door.

Yes, it was two in the morning and yes, I was wearing my vintage Robin pj's.

But did I care?

Nope, didn't think so.

I finally got to the hospital and, after nearly breaking down the door, was standing in front of Tseng (does this man ever sleep?!)

"Little late to be out, isn't it?" he asked in his usual monotonous drawl.

"I don't care!" I replied, lack of sleep and stress starting to get to me. I really liked Tseng, he was pretty cool (don't tell him I said that) but I had to get to Roxas.

"Alright, go." he flicked his wrist.

I started towards the elevator.

"Wait!" Tseng called. I stopped and spun around.

"Nice pajamas." he smiled for the first time since I'v met him.

I was slightly stunned from the elevator to the top floor, but got over it once I stepped into the white hall.

"One...two...three...four..." I counted the door numbers as I passed them.

I got so caught up in my counting that I missed Roxas' room altogether!

Here's how it went:

"Twelve...thirteen...four...fourteen?" I had never noticed the fourteenth room, not once in the many times I had visited.

I (being the privacy-disrespecting sneak I am) looked into the window.

Empty.

"Hm...oh well." I murmured. Then I remembered the reason I was here and went to see him.

Said reason was-as expected-laying in the bed. I sat down in the plastic chair next to him.

"Hi Roxas...I had a dream...no, a nightmare...it was scary...I just had to make sure you're...you're alive..."

Nothing.

I slipped my hand into his. It was so cold. Why?

I looked at the bedside table.

Twenty-five seashells. After that first day, I made sure to always bring one when I visited.

Except today.

I hadn't visited that day (tried though).

I knew things weren't going well. Roxas was no longer responding to the light and sound tests, and comas are almost never this long.

I rested my forehead on his arm and was lulled to sleep by the faint beeping of the heart machine.

X

Look! Did you see that plotbunny? Isn't it cute? Can you guess what'll happen? Do you even know what I'm talking about? Did I scare anyone with Roxas' dream-death? Are these questions too intense for you? Yes? You can't take the heat!

...I'll stop now.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey, readers! Thank you guys for the reviews, sounds like I scared some people :P.

Oh, I thought of this last night: I'm not a ClTi shipper. I am 100% Clearith. Just so ya know.

Anywayz...I own nothing.

Chapter 21

Third Person~

Briinnnggg. Briinngggg. Cloud's phone rang. He lifted his heavy head off the pillow and glared at the silver piece of technology on his nightstand.

He looked at the clock, groaned when he saw it was 4:00, and begrudgingly answered the phone.

"What?" he demanded.

"It's Rude. I've got some information on Squall Leonhart. Do you want to hear it?"

Cloud sat up. "Yeah. What is it?"

"We've found his wife."

"Wife?" Squall was married?

"Yes. A...Riona."

"Riona?" Cloud knew they had dated for a while, but married? He couldn't imagine it.

"Yes." word of the day ladies and gents.

"Where is she?"

"A place called Traverse Town."

"Ok, got it." Cloud hung up.

He threw on some clothes and softly told Tifa where he was going.

"Mmmhmmffflle..." she replied. Cloud took that as an acceptable answer and left.

~x~

Cloud arrived at the gates of Traverse Town.

The place was pretty beat up, but it had a strong feel to it. Like a million wars had been fought within it's walls, yet it was still standing, ready for the next battle.

It reminded him of Nibelheim.

Cloud saw a brunette man wearing something that looked like pantaloons (?), standing in front of a large door.

"Hello!" the man greeted cheerfully. "Sorry, but this door to the Third District is closed."

"Whatever. Listen, do you know a woman name Riona Heartilly?" Cloud asked.

"'Bout yea big?" the man held a hand next to his eyes.

"Yeah." good, I'll find her fast. Thought the blonde.

"Black hair?"

"Yeah!"

"Last name Heartilly?"

"Yes.." Cloud was getting a little impatient.

"Nope, never seen her."

The blonde stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Nope."

Cloud sighed and walked away.

~x~

He had talked to everyone in the town! No one had seen or even heard of Riona Heartilly.

"Where is she?" Cloud grumbled.

"Where is who?" someone asked behind him. He turned and saw a woman with short black hair (along with a couple gray streaks), holding something that looked like a Border Collie pup. She toyed with a ring on a necklace around her throat.

"My...my uh...friend. Her name is Riona Heartilly." No one knew her before, I doubt she knows her. Cloud thought pessimistically.

"Oh yeah...she uh...lives in that apartment. Do you want me to take you there?" she pointed to a third-story window.

"Sure." the woman set her dog down and started towards the door, Cloud on her heels.

She bounded up a long case of stairs with the energy of a six-year old. Cloud, on the other hand, bounded up the stairs with the energy of an enhanced super-human.

"One. Two. Three." the woman counted the doors.

"Here we are, eight!" she kicked the door, then knocked twice above the doorknob. She opened the door.

"Oh, I never asked. What's your name?" Cloud asked.

She smiled. "Riona."

Cloud stared at her. "...what...?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh." she threw her arms around him.

"Howzit going, Cloudy?" Riona giggled.

"Um...good..." he said awkwardly.

"So, why're you looking for me?" she asked, leaning back on her heels.

"Where's Squall?"

She stopped. Riona stared up at Cloud.

"Squall's...gone." she said quietly.

"Gone? What do you mean, 'gone'?" Cloud couldn't believe it. I mean, sure in the dictionary, beside the word 'loner' is a picture of Squall. But he would never just 'leave.'

"He woke me up one morning. Said he had to leave. I haven't seen him since." Riona mumbled.

"..."

Riona sniffed, then made a commendable effort to regain her sunny disposition.

"Any other questions?" she chirped.

Cloud smiled weakly. "Why does no one else know you live here?"

"Cuz you've been going around asking people about 'Riona Heartilly.'"

She grinned at him. "I'm Riona Leonhart."

~x~

Xion~

I was having a very dreamless sleep.

No, that's a lie. I seemed to be in a world of swirling pastel colors. I sat in the middle of a blue universe streaked with green and purple.

A silver spiral spun into existence in front of me. I reached out to touch it and it evaporated.

I stood and waved my hand in the air. Bright green flowed out of my fingers. I made another motion and pale pink cascaded away from my hand.

With my endless supply of colors, I painted a beautiful picture of nothing.

I felt a strange sensation. Like someone was pulling me by the back of my shirt.

Then _whoosh_, I was back in reality.

I opened my eyes. Everything was fuzzy and out of focus. But I made out an indistinct face, light hair and something that seemed to be a halo.

Then, in an unfamiliar teenage voice, this 'angel' whispered "Wake up."

X

So, who is Xion's angel? Can ya guess? What did you guys think if her dream world. I...don't know...I just started writing and when I looked up, that's what it was.

Sorry if Riona was OOC. I haven't played FF VIII. Oh and you probably won't hear from me for a few days, I'm going somewhere that may or may not have wi-fi.

P.S Nibelheim is Cloud's hometown, if ya didn't know.


	22. Chapter 22

Yo. Glad you're back. Sorry for the slight delay. Oh and 2,505 veiws! Thanks guys! And ally reviews have been positive! You guys are awesome! Um...yeah...chapter 22

~x~

Like a camera lens snapping into focus, Xion's vision sharpened suddenly. Her "angel's" face became clear.

It was Roxas.

"Roxas...?" She murmured. He smiled.

"Yep."

"Roxas...you...you can talk..." Xion blabbered, sleep still clinging to her mind, making her slow.

He nodded. Xion sat up and saw she was in the-his-hospital bed.

"Why...?" She asked.

Roxas shrugged. "When I woke up, you were asleep on my arm so I moved you to the bed." He smiled that modest Roxas-smile.

Xion wrapped her arms around him. "I didn't think you would ever wake up." She murmured into his chest.

Roxas was confused. "I was only asleep a few hours. The operation didn't take that long."

Xion separated herself from him. "Roxas...you...you went into a coma."

She looked up at him.

"You've been asleep for twenty six days."

He stared at her. "Twenty...twenty six?"

She nodded, then pointed at the bedside table. "That's what the seashells are for. I brought one for every day."

Roxas was surprised. "Everyday?"

She nodded.

He grinned-no beamed at his friend's loyalty.

Then Xion realized something. "Hey, Roxas? Does anyone know you're awake?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Was I suppose to tell someone?" he asked innocently.

"Yes!" she couldn't believe he was being so dense. But...she felt kind of funny/happy at the same time.

"Oh. Well...I wanted to wait for you to wake up." he said.

Xion smiled. "Thank you. But, we really should...I don't know...call a nurse or something."

Roxas nodded. Then Xion knit her brows.

"What?" the blonde asked.

"What do you think the nurse will do when she finds me in the bed and you in the visit chair?" she wondered.

Roxas shrugged. "Guess we'll have to find out." he reached over and pushed the nurse call button.

Roxas~

Yes! I can talk! I was excited and happy beyond comprehension. I was very glad that, contrary to my delusional wish, I didn't sound like an arrogant chipmunk and I could actually talk with fifteen-year-old grammar.

Anyway, I pushed the nurse call button and Lucrecia came in.

"What's wro-oh!" she gasped. I smiled and waved.

"Roxas! You're awake?"

Normally, I would've thought up a sarcastic comment (and now I can say them!) but I didn't.

"Can...can you talk?" Lucrecia asked, leaning forward slightly.

I shook my head. "No I can't talk." I told her sadly.

"Oh, I'm sor-oh nice try." she smirked. "I'll get Dr. Klause so he can give you a full evaluation." she told me, then left.

A few minutes later, the doctor wandered in.

A/N Get it?

"Lucrecia says your doing well. Making sarcastic remarks and moving your friend to the bed."

He smiled. "Buuut just to be sure, can you stand up for me?"

I nodded and stood. A wave of nausea took me.

"How'er you feeling?" Dr. Klause asked.

"Like a million bucks." I managed.

He nodded, an eyebrow raised. "Uh huh...you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Promise?" Isn't he supposed to be a doctor?

I nodded.

He crossed his arms. "Ok. Run up and down the hallway ten times."

My face went pale and I stared at him with widening eyes. "Um...s-sure..."

I walked to the door. With my hand on the doorknob, I looked back at him like 'Do I really have to do this?'

He grinned. I opened the door. I was about to break into the run that would probably break me, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I was joking kid."

~x~

Cloud was attempting to start his black hand-me-down saturn, when his phone rang.

"He-" he started but was interrupted by:

"CLOUD, XION'S DISAPPEARED!"

Cloud held the phone away from his ringing ear.

"...Tifa...?"

"Sheleftherphoneandnoneofherf riendsknowwheresheisand-!"

"Tifa! Calm down!" Cloud told her, raking his fingers threw his crazed blonde hair.

*deep breath*

"Good." Cloud said. "Now try again." It felt like he was talking to Tifa back when she was a teenager.

"She left her phone and none of her friends know where she is." Tifa whimpered.

"Um...c-call the hospital...she might be there..." Cloud tried.

"Cloud...today...it's..." she didn't need to finish. Cloud knew exactly what she was trying to say.

Today...the life support ran out.

Then, Cloud's phone beeped.

"Hold on, Tifa, I've got another call."

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cloud." a familiar voice greeted.

"...Bartz...?"

"Yup. Oh, I've got good news."

Cloud sighed and kicked at a rock. "What?"

"Roxas Fair is awake."

Silence...silence...silence...hemustbemessingwithme...

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. He's doing great. Blood pressure and heart beat is perfect."

"Great."

Then (and this is very out of the ordinary for Cloud) the blonde asked the question on his mind:

"Can he talk?"

...

"Yeah! You'd better come pick them up. Hospital food is hardly a "Welcome Back" breakfast." Bartz laughed a little.

Cloud paused. "Them...?"

"Uh, yeah. Roxas and Xion." Bartz said in a the-memory-really-IS-the-first-to-go kind of way.

"Wait, Xion's there?" Cloud felt relief, then a little anger, then exasperation

"Yes...didn't you know that?"

Cloud shook his head. "Uh. No."

"Oh. Well, um...she's here."

Cloud sighed. "All right, I'll be right there after I tell Tifa our daughter hasn't been abducted by aliens."

Bartz laughed. "Bye Cloud."

Cloud went back to Tifa.

"Tifa, it's alright. I got a call from the hospital. She's there with Roxas. I'm going to go pick them up." he said, pulling the same slip of the tongue as Bartz.

"Them...?"

Cloud grinned slightly.

"Yeah. Roxas is awake."

X

Yay! Roxy's awake! Thinking about it...this is probably the happiest thing I've ever written!

Don't worry, I'm not going soft. Something rather big and devastating with happen soon. Mwahahaha.


	23. Chapter 23

Sorry it took me so long! I got this idea for a fic (Baseballs, "Friends", and No-Crying Rules. If you guys could check that out it would be great!)

So uh...enjoy!

Chapter 23

Roxas~

"Xion...why'd you sneak off like that?" Cloud demanded from the front seat.

We were driving home from the hospital, and everything seemed unreal and fast.

"I'm sorry dad! I had to!" Xion insisted. "If it was Zack, you would've gone too!"

My heart stopped and I got this funny feeling around my eyes.

"Xion." Cloud said in his forever-even tone.

She shot a look at me. "Roxas! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean that!"

I shook my head "It's alright."

~x~

The second the rubber toe of my sneaker crossed the metal doorstep, I was attacked by a whirlwind named Tifa.

"Roxas! You're ok!" she yelped.

She held me by my shoulders. "Say something!"

"Tifa..." Cloud mumbled, sounding embarrassed.

"Nope! Cloud, shut up!" she stared at me.

"Um...hi?"

She squealed again and hugged me.

Xion slammed her head on the dining room table and Cloud was trying to pull his wife offa me.

Five smothering minutes later...

"Ok, what do you want for dinner, Roxas?"Tifa asked, her hands on her hips in the standard "Tifa position."

"Tifa, it's noon." Cloud reminded her, slipping his arm around her waist.

She grinned a little. "Right." she stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss Cloud.

Xion and I blanched.

"Aw shut it you two." Tifa said, pulling away from Cloud. "You'll be kissing each other soon enough."

Xion and I stared at each other for a veerry looonng time before Xion jumped up and yelled: "Black Ops marathon! I'll beat you to my room!" she tore off to her bedroom.

I stood there for a second in awkward silence with my best friend's young and crazy parents, before making a very smooth ninja walk to Xion's room.

For about three hours of playing multiplayer with random people across the world, and finally being able to yell out insults over the mic, we switched to playing zombies with just the two of us.

At one point, Xion pumped her arm in the air, causing her jacket arm to ride up.

I saw a strange bruise on her wrist, it seemed to be on the outside of her skin, but it was purple.

"Xion..." I murmured, pointing at her hand.

She examined it. "What the heck?"

Then something caught my eye: a man with brown hair and a raggedy leather jacket stumbled past her window.

Blood poured from a wound on his face.

~x~

Squall~

I finally stopped bleeding. The pain had faded to just an ache.

I fidgeted with my wedding band behind my back. Doing so made me think about Riona.

I told myself to stop. I told myself that I would never see her again and would be trapped in this place forever. To be tortured by that...girl everyday until she couldn't resist the urge anymore and she killed me.

Unless that equally crazy man...Ansem...holds her back and I truly will be stuck here forever.

I'm not exaggerating.

After being here (wherever 'here' is) for so long, I've noticed I never have to eat or drink and my wounds, even the most mortal injuries, heal quickly. My hair doesn't grow and I never sleep. I've decided that I need nothing.

They've stripped me of my humanity.

...no, I'm wrong. If my humanity was completely gone, I wouldn't have to pull myself from thoughts of Riona.

The door opened and I was surprised. She had already come and cut me open, why was the witch here again?

Was she going to kill me?

"Please..." I mumbled, finding myself begging her to end me.

She smiled and I would've been fooled if I didn't know the sadistic things she was capable of.

"I'm sorry Squallie." she said, putting emphasis in my nickname.

My blood turned to cold steel.

"How...?" only Riona called me that.

She traced patterns up my exposed arm. I felt a searing pain and the patterns became visible.

She was holding back, I could tell because she had touched me for five seconds and I wasn't bleeding.

She sat on the arm of the chair.

"You know...Squall...you have beautiful eyes..." she murmured, stroking my cheek.

More pain.

Still no blood.

"Don't touch me." I growled. This has nearly become a tradition.

She would act like she loved me for a minute. Pet my face. I would tell her to stay away. Then she would dig her nails into my neck and rip.

But today she just sat there, running a finger down my jawline.

"But I love you, Squall." she whispered. Something was up.

"Oh, so you're cheating on the devil?"

She looked at her lap, as if ashamed.

"If you actually loved me, you would let me go." please...

She looked up at me again.

"But, Squall," I started hating my own name. "then I wouldn't have you."

I saw a window, but it was closing.

I looked away from her and (trying not to throw up) whispered: "Maybe I'd stay."

She touched my wrist and I winced.

"Really? Would you?" I heard the hopefulness in her voice and tried not to smile; my plan was working.

"Yes."

She got up and untied my hands, every time she touched me it hurt.

I stood. I was about to make a break for the door when she stepped in front of me.

She smiled as if I'd just agreed to marry her or something. She reached up and locked her hands behind my neck.

I flinched, not used to any kind of touch that wasn't intended to cause me pain. It still burned when she touched me, but it wasn't on purpose.

I had utterly no idea what she was doing or when she would take her hands off me.

The next thing I knew, she was kissing me.

It hurt so much. But I couldn't move. Blood began trickling from my lips.

My shirt soaked up what flowed from my neck.

I couldn't remember being in so much pain.

She began cutting shapes on the back of my neck with her fingernail.

The edges of my vision darkened. Blackish stars flashed in front of my face.

'Is this really how I'm going to die?' I wondered.

'I'm sorry Riona.' I thought.

Riona deserved someone who would love her. She deserved a family.

'Maybe she'll realize I died and find somebody else.'

No. She would wait until she's dead herself.

"Ri...on...a..." I whispered.

The girl paused when I managed that and broke away from me, I collapsed on the floor.

She knelt beside me.

She took my hand in hers and sliced open my wrist. Blood was spilt immediately.

She held my bloody wrist so my hand rested on her shoulder for a second.

She put her hand on my chest, easily pinning me down. The girl leaned down to my face.

She bit down hard on my neck, then whispered: "I hope you bleed out."

She walked out, leaving the door wide open.

I dragged myself towards it. The opening.

It took me a while, but finally I was at the front door.

"You let him go?!" I heard an angry shout.

A slap that almost made me hurt rang out. A whimper. I pushed myself out of the door before I was found.

The second I stepped foot outside, I remembered where I was, when I got here and why.

I had to get away from this place soon.

Do I know anyone here...? In...Twilight Town?

Then I remembered.

I started off in the direction of Cloud's house.

X

Uh...yeah...there...


	24. Chapter 24

Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I kept rewriting this chapter and hating it then loving it then hating it again, but I'm finally done!

Hope ya like it!

Disclaimer: If I owned kh or ff, I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction about it, now would I?

Chapter 24

Roxas~

"What was that?" I asked (still can't get over that).

"I don't know. Let's go find out." Xion jumped off my bed and ran to the door.

"Wait!" I yelled and took off after her.

By the time I caught up with her, she was standing in front of the door. The stranger was leaning in the door frame, bleeding on the carpet.

"Cloud..." He murmured. "I need...Cloud..."

With that, he fell through the door and hit the floor.

Xion ran to the stairs. "Dad!" She yelled. Cloud came up the stairs.

"What is it, Xion?" He asked, then saw the uninvited guest lying on the floor.

He rushed over and lifted the man up.

Tifa came up the stairs. "What happe-" she stopped. Cloud lowered the man to the couch.

"Squall..." Cloud said. "What happened?"

The man-Squall, I assume-looked up at Cloud, trying to focus on his face.

"Long story." He grunted.

Tifa darted to the kitchen and came back with the First Aid Kit. She set to work cleaning and bandaging his many wounds.

The second Tifa touched him, a grimace covered his face.

Tifa withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

He shook his head. "No it's just...I haven't really been touched for a while."

For some reason, I found that highly unlikly.

Squall~

I laid on the sofa. It was very strange to have someone touch me and I feel no pain. Not intentional pain anyway.

Tifa gently moved my head to the side to examine my neck. She let out a tiny gasp when she saw the deep bite marks on my neck.

"Cloud," She whispered. He glanced down and gave me a look that said 'explain later.'

I nodded weakly.

The kids I first saw when I came here stood behind Cloud and Tifa. Their children, probably. It was weird how much the boy looked like Cloud, their spiky blonde hair and blue eyes were nearly identical.

Then I noticed the girl. She was petite, sporting deep blue eyes and short black hair. She looked like...Yuffie.

Then I saw the strange purplish bruising creeping up her neck. I remembered Cloud had a similar bruise several years ago, when we were both fighting to stay alive.

It was some sort of decease. A genetic one.

I wonder...could it be...?

Tifa snapped me out of my thoughts. "Squall, you're staying here until you can stand without fainting, puking, bleeding or falling over." Tifa told me.

I sat up too quickly, causing the black stars to make a reappearing act.

"N-no. I have to go back to Riona." I insisted.

Tifa put her hands on her hips. "Oh no you don't. You're not going anywhere."

I looked at Cloud, who shrugged in a apologetic way.

I turned back to Tifa. "You can't keep me here."

She raised her eyebrows like 'you wanna go?'

She crossed her arms. "You wanna go?"

Um. Wow.

"Fine. Leave. Door's over there."

I stood up and blacked out immediately.

When I came to, Tifa was standing over me.

"You can sleep in the guest room. Cloud will lend you some clothes."

~x~

Roxas~

It was about seven O'clock.

"Roxas," Tifa called from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" I walked over to her.

"Cloud and I have to go to the store."

"I can go alone." Cloud insisted as he drifted through the room.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "No. Take this to Squall." She handed me a little silver box.

"What is it?" I asked (amazing isn't it?).

She smirked. "Can't tell ya."

"Ok. While we're gone, keep an eye on Squall. If anyone breaks into the house, gets injured past the First Aid Kit, or Squall smiles, call the police and/or hospital."

"C'mon Tif." Cloud called patiently.

An annoyed expression crossed her face. "Hold on a second! I'm coming!"

She pointed at the box. "Take that to Squall."

She walked to the door.

"What is it?!" I yelled.

I sighed dramatically and started to the stairs.

I got to the door. I knocked lightly on the door. Nothing.

I pushed open the door. Squall was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

"Cloud." He said, looking up. "I need to talk to you."

'Oh gosh he's delusional.' I thought.

I opened my mouth to tell him who I was.

But no sound came out.

My hand flew to my throat and, in my surprise, almost missed what he said next.

"I have a son."

I stared at him. That was probably the most random thing I'd ever heard.

Squall nodded as if I had commented.

"Yes. His name is Sora."

He looked straight at me. A look of confusion crossed his face as I shoved the box at him and ran upstairs.

When I got there, I noticed Xion wasn't in the living room.

I looked around in a needless panic.

She was asleep in her room.

~x~

I sat on the sofa, watching TV. There was nothing on, besides annoying Christmas spinoff specials.

I heard a car pull up and, in seconds, an angry voice.

Tifa stormed through the door. Cloud followed.

"Tifa, why are you mad?" He asked.

She huffed. "If you have to ask, I'm not telling you!"

Tifa started down the hall.

"But-" He tried.

"Cloud Strife!" She yelled, as if that was the worst insult on the face of the Earth.

She darted into their room and slammed the door in Cloud's face.

Cloud stood there for a second, then turned and walked back into the living room. He sat down next to me. The way he was holding his head in his hands, he looked just like Squall.

Ok...not really.

According to my dad, the only person who could actually talk to Cloud was my mother.

But...it was worth a shot.

"Um...why is Tifa mad?"

He sighed. "I said something about Aerith and suddenly she was shouting at me."

My mom...? What did he say...?

"What did you say?"

"I said 'Remember when Aerith broke my arm at that gas station' then Tifa got angry for no reason."

"She broke your arm at a gas station?" I had to ask.

He smiled halfway. "Yeah...your mom wasn't the best driver in the world."

Cloud looked around. "Um...where's Xion?"

"Oh, she's asleep." I explained.

He nodded. "Anything...out of the ordinary happen while we were gone?"

"Uhm...well...Squall did randomly tell me he had a son, after calling me Cloud."

He raised his eyebrows. "He was probably hallucinating. And...yeah...they did."

"H-he said his name is-was-Sora." I said.

Cloud nodded a little. "Um...yeah. They gave him up for adoption. Squall wanted to protect Sora...he knew that...he was in danger if anyone knew he was related to Squall. So they put him up for adoption. Zack and Aerith wanted to do the same...but...they loved you and Kairi too much...and they thought they could keep you two safe."

I closed my eyes. "Did you..ever want to give Xion and Aqua up?" I asked numbly.

"No. We thought we could protect them." He murmured.

I bolted up. "Well it didn't work!" I yelled. "My sister's dead and Aqua's dead and Sora got killed by AVALANCHE! No matter what, you can't protect someone from themselves!" I ran out the door.

~x~

I pressed my hand to the cool metal of the wrought-iron gate. I stepped into the cemetery.

It was cold, being December and all, and I had forgotten my jacket.

After walking to the very back of the large cemetery, I found the graves. Tucked into a corner were three tombstones.

I knelt next to the one in the middle.

Kairi's.

"One sky, one destiny." I read, running my fingers over the lettering, engraved in shining granite stone.

I turned to another. This one was gray with little flecks of silver.

My dad's.

"Just cuz I'm dead doesn't mean you've gotten rid of me." Oh, dad.

I looked over at my mom's. My jaw hit the ground.

The stone rose out of a forest of orange, pink and white lilies.

"I...only planted one..." I murmured.

I stood and walked around for a while.

Finally, I found it.

Sora's.

"My friends are my power. And I'm theirs."

A little dorky, but one hundred percent Sora.

I looked around and found a sharp rock. I sat next to the stone.

Using the stone, I scratched out 'Fooser' and carved 'Leonhart.'

X

Yup. Very important chapter. Please review guys! I'm only getting two or three reviews each chapter, and they're from the same people! (Shout out to khdayskh1314, Shadowdragon1317 and Zigbon) so uh...yeah...


	25. Chapter 25

Sup, readers! The upcoming Rokushi fluff is dedicated to awesomefanficlova. And I apologize in advance to all the Cloti shippers. This will not be a good chapter for Mr. and Mrs. Cloud Strife.

Chapter 25

Roxas~

"Hehlll-lloooo!" A voice sang.

...mom..? I thought.

"Hello? Hooray!" The voice cheered.

"An angel?" I croaked.

The voice giggled.

I opened my eyes, but all I saw was light. It was actually really beautiful. Soft blues and whites swirled around. There was a blackish smudge above me.

Am I dead? If an angel's talking to me, am I in...

"Heaven?"

My vision sharpened and I saw Xion's face. She was upside down for some reason.

"Hehe, not quite." She smiled widely.

I discovered the reason Xion seemed upside down was because I was leaning against the side of her bed. My shirt had ridden up and my back was exposed to the freezing metal frame.

I remembered coming home (um...) from the cemetery, sneaking past Tifa and Cloud, who were having a very one-sided argument in the living room, tiptoeing into Xion's room and, finally, falling asleep next to Xion.

...I didn't mean to say it like that..

"Did you know you drool when you sleep?" She wondered, her eyes sparkling with a childish light.

"Ack!" I clamped my hand over my mouth.

"Hehe, don't worry. It's cute."

Xion looks like an angel. I thought. Then I started blushing.

If I turned any redder, every lobster restaurant within a ten-mile radius would be after me.

Suddenly, we heard a yell. We rushed to the door.

~x~

Third person~

Tifa stormed out of her room, fake-leather suitcase in hand.

"Tifa...?" Cloud asked. He was standing in the middle of the living room.

"I'm leaving!" She announced, her voice edged with fury.

"What?" Cloud wondered if he'd heard correctly. Tifa was leaving? Why? Sure she had been mad at him the last few days but...it had been over little things. And...they made up afterword, right?

"What's wrong?" He tried.

She stomped up to him until they were nearly nose-to-nose.

"I'm sick!" She snapped.

Cloud felt a jolt.

"W-what do you mean?" Did she have cancer? Was she going to die in a few days? Is that why she's leaving?

"I'm sick of you." Tifa growled in a low voice.

"...what?" Now Cloud was just confused.

"I'M SICK OF YOU!" She screamed.

Tifa stalked towards the door. Cloud streaked forward and wrapped her in his arms.

"Don't leave..." He pleaded into her hair.

Tifa jerked herself from his grasp. She turned and shoved him hard, but Cloud didn't even stagger.

"Ugh!" She screeched, probably angry Cloud didn't fall.

She threw open the door, stormed outside and slammed it hard.

A wind was pushed in, causing Cloud's insane spikes to wave.

All the air in his body evaporated. He looked into the hall.

"You two can come out now." He mumbled.

Xion and Roxas crept sheepishly out from Xion's bedroom.

Xion sprinted forward and hugged her dad.

"Dad...what-what happened?" She whimpered, her voice a little muffled by his coat.

"..."

Cloud, being the awkward thirty-something year old he was, sort of stroked her hair in a somewhat confused fashion.

Roxas watched numbly from the hall. He felt terrible.

He couldn't believe Tifa just up and left. Why?

Then, upon seeing Cloud and Xion in the act of family self-pity and love, Roxas felt a weird-but-familier emotion:

Envy.

Roxas was jealous of Xion. She still had a father who loved her. Roxas was alone. He would never be hugged by his mother, never play video games with his father, never be teased by Kairi.

Yes, his family had been killed a while ago, but this whole "would never..." thing was just hitting him.

He reached up and gripped his silver necklace.

He had to hold on to something.

~x~

Squall~

I was standing in total blackness. A white light created a halo around me.

Suddenly, a boy (fifteen or so) ran up to me, terror in his wide blue eyes.

The boy had out-of-control brown hair and an innocence that surrounded him. The light caused him to glow.

"Dad!" The boy gasped. "You've gotta help me!"

Dad...? Was this...?

"Sora?" I murmured.

"Help!" He begged, tears puddled at the corners of his eyes.

Then, a wall of...of...energy slammed between us.

"Dad!" He screamed and pounded on the invisible barrier.

"Sora..." I whispered.

Suddenly, _she_ appeared.

She smiled at me. She took a fistful of Sora's hair and yanked him to the ground.

"No..." I mumbled.

She sank next to him, smiling that deranged grin that was etched on the inside of my eyelids.

Sora turned and tried to crawl away. She laughed joyfully and chased after him.

He has a chance...he does! I thought.

That was before she snaked her hand around Sora's ankle.

"No." This can't be happening.

She lurched forward and grasped his hands. Sora tried to pull away but she was too strong. The girl lay next to him.

"No, please..." I begged, pressing my palms to the wall.

The blonde reached out to touch his face. Sora screamed when her hand made contact, blood began pouring much too fast from the wound.

She laughed like a child receiving a gift on Christmas.

The girl dragged her nails down his arms.

"Dad!" Sora screamed. Tears streamed down his face. "Help me!"

I looked down to make sure I myself wasn't bleeding, I felt some terrible pain.

Then, she tore at his neck. "NO!" I shouted.

I beat at the wall, trying desperately to get to my son.

The girl, that girl! She leaned down to his chest. Then she stood and clasped her hands behind her back. She smiled sweetly and skipped away, her sandals thumping on the floor.

The wall evaporated. I was kneeling by Sora in an instant.

"Sora!" I cried.

He turned towards me. "D..dad..." He murmured.

I held his head, which was bleeding from the wound on his cheek.

"No...no..." I repeated, terrified.

Then, the light in his eyes started to fade.

He smiled faintly, then closed his eyes.

"Sora...no.." I mumbled.

~x~

"Sora!" I screamed, sitting up.

Oh.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, a sudden pain pounding in my head.

"I'm...loosing my mind." I decided.

X

How was that?

Zigbon-Lol. That's all I can say.

X-blade205-Thanks!

Oh and I know Squall was very OOC, but in the game he didn't have a son he hasn't seen in fifteen years get murdered in front of him. And it's my story the characters can be OOC if I want them to! :P

Bye


	26. Chapter 26

Hello writers, gamers and crazy people! I got like, I dunno six reviews last time! So thanks guys! I have figured out the outcome of this story so...mwahahaha...

Disclaimer: I own everything.

Oh, didn't you know it was opposite day?

Chapter 26

Roxas~

Ok, it's official. I thought, walking down the empty, locker-lined hall.

The school board hates us.

I mean, Christmas break starts on Tuesday and they're making us go on Monday. On top of that, I have to make up all my finals TODAY!

I was very mad. To say the least.

Xion and I walk into homeroom. The second I'm inside, Vexen basically tried to stab me with a ruler while yelling:

"Welcome back Fair!" Very sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and walked back to my seat.

Vexen started calling roll.

I noticed kids staring at me, probably wondering where I'd been.

Or maybe Vexen had told them where I was, and they were surprised I was alive.

"Fair!" He called.

"Here." I said irritably.

Suddenly, every kid that hadn't been staring at me before nearly got whiplash turning their heads.

So maybe not.

"What?" I asked.

Vexen pointed his ruler at me. "You-you...talked...?"

He took a step towards the wall phone, like he was gonna call the police.

"Yup."

Then I noticed the kid to my left was looking around at everyone, a very confused look on his face. I'd never seen the kid before, maybe he had moved here while I was um...absent.

"Why were ya out so long, brudda?" A redheaded (more like orangeheaded) kid asked in a thick accent of some sort.

"Uh...I was...in the hospital." I really didn't want to go into detail.

Homeroom ended.

As I was packing up my stuff, the new kid stood over me.

I looked up. "Um...hi." I said awkwardly. I looked him over.

The boy had dark brown hair. He wore a blue hoodie and a Greenday t-shirt.

"You're...Roxas, right?" His grayish-green eyes were filled with a kind of calmness, like his life had been nothing but smooth sailing.

Lucky.

"Yeah, that's me."

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud "Thomas! Come on!"

I looked at the door, the source of the voice.

I saw myself standing with Fuu. Except my hair was dyed black.

Wait.

"I'm coming Ven!" The boy-Thomas, I guess-called.

But instead, Ventus and Fuu walked over to us.

"Like my hair, Roxy? Not clones anymore eh?" My look-alike smirked.

"Don't call me Roxy." I growled. Ventus had sort of become private-enemy-number-one since he kissed Xion at the pool.

"I see you've met Thomas." Ventus reached over and ruffled Thomas' hair.

"Quit it." Thomas held his hand against Ven's face at arm length.

Then Ventus noticed Xion. He brushed Thomas' hand away.

"Heeyy, Xi." Ven tried to look cool by leaning on a bookshelf. But he missed it completely and instead fell flat on his face.

Thomas and I burst out laughing. Xion was laughing so hard tears poured out of her eyes. Even Fuu tittered.

"Shut up." Ventus growled, getting up. He stormed out.

"Excuse Ven." Fuu mumbled.

Thomas elbowed Fuu. He whispered something in her ear.

She turned bright red.

"M-math." She squeaked, then speed-shuffled out.

We stared at him. "What did you say?" Xion inquired.

Thomas grinned. "Oh...just that Ven should ask her out. Instead of you."

He looked at his watch. "Gotta go. See ya."

He put his hands behind his head and walked out.

"C'mon let's go." Xion said. I nodded and started towards the door.

"Fair!" Vexen barked.

I stopped. Xion, who was already at the door, stopped as well.

"You have to take your finals."

Whoops.

"But...I...have class..." I tried.

He smiled wickedly. "You are excused from the rest of your classes today."

Thinking-thinking-thinking-how-do-I-get-out-of-this?

"Umm...oh! Don't YOU have a class to teach?"

Vexen gave me a 'how stupid are you?' look. "Fair, the gardening club doesn't meet during winter."

I stared at him and said, as Xion got yanked into the wave "You teach gardening?"

He looked offended. "Yes! With Marluxia!"

"Good for you." I began inching in the direction of the door.

"Not so fast." He was at the door before I could blink. Vexen pointed to a desk and, as I was walking that way, swatted me on the back of my head with his ruler.

I sat down and he dropped a mountain of papers in front of me. The desk sank a few inches into the ground, I swear.

"Good luck." He sing-sang. I picked up my pencil and started on the first test.

~x~

As I was walking out of Vexen's class, numbers and symbols and squiggly lines danced in front of my face.

I walked out the front doors and, in my daze, nearly tripped over the girl sleeping by the door.

It was Xion.

I laughed softly and knelt next to her.

"Xion," I whispered. "Wake up.."

Her eye lids fluttered as she woke. She looked up at me and yawned.

"Oh hey...Roxas..." She smiled.

I laughed as I pulled her up. "C'mon Xi. Let's get home."

She started to nod, but stopped halfway. "No! We have to-"

She grabbed my hand and yanked me to the sidewalk. Several books flew out of my worn-black messenger.

"Where are we going?!" I yelled.

Xion laughed. "You'll see!"

I was half-dragged through Market Street and the sandlot into the Tram Common. We-mostly she-chased after the tram.

"Wait!" Xion yelled. "Cid!" She called, but the tram didn't even pause.

"CID! WAIT!" She screamed.

Finally, it stopped. We boarded the tram panting like old dogs that had just run a 5-K.

The driver, a grouchy-looking man with blonde-streaked grey hair, glared at us.

"Wut?" He demanded.

Xion leaned down and said something in his ear.

He looked annoyed. Well...even more annoyed.

"Why should I? And who are you anyways?"

"Xion Strife." She sounded proud.

"Strife?" The driver looked surprised.

"Yup. My dad's Cloud Strife."

His eyes grew wide. "He's still alive?"

"Uh...yeah. And you owe him. So drive." Xion smirked.

"Damn that Strife." He grumbled as he switched gears and started driving.

"So, if Cloud's yer dad, Aerith must be yer mother." He reasoned.

We were both blown away by that.

"Uhm...no...no she's not." Xion blabbered.

He looked surprised. "No? Huh."

He looked back at me. "And who'er you?"

"Roxas Fair." I told him.

"Fair? Zack yer dad?" He asked in that funny drawl.

"Uh...yeah..." I decided not to mention that Dad was dead.

"And yer mom iz...?"

"My mom is Aerith." I told him.

The man leaned back. "Zack an' Aerith. Hm."

Xion and I inched awkwardly to the back.

"Who is that? How does he know your dad? Where are we going? Why does he owe Cloud?" I started firing off question immediately.

She stared at me for a second. Then: "His name's Cid Highwind. Apparently they fought in some war or something. Uh...dad won't tell me."

"Oh."

Xion smiled. Then she scooted closer to me, leaning her head on my shoulder.

She yawned and held my arm close to her.

"Night, Xion." I mumbled.

Then I rested my head on her's and fell asleep.

~x~

"Heyy love burds!" A gruff voice rang through my subconscious.

I lifted my two-ton head and blinked in the blinding light.

And ended up face-to-face with Cid Highwind.

"Ah, good. Yer awake." He said, nearly poking my eye out with his foot-long toothpick.

He strutted to the front of the tram as I gently woke up Xion. Once we were both only semi-asleep, we got off and looked around.

The tram was parked on a grey cobblestone street that was missing parts of both the cobble and the stone. Everything seemed to be colored different shades and tones of gray.

Then I saw the church.

It was brown and white, with a tall steeple. I felt...drawn to it.

I was so mystified, I didn't even notice Cid driving away, laughing like a maniac.

"Whoa..." I mumbled. Next to me, Xion beamed. She slipped her hand into mine.

"C'mon!" She whispered, tugging me up the crumbling stairs and into the church.

Third Person~

The blonde and the ravenette ran into the church. Light from an indistinguishable location shone on a small garden of white and yellow flowers.

The two walked to the edge of garden, trying to be quiet. As if, by being too loud, they would wake the flowers.

"Oh!" Xion suddenly exclaimed. "You've gotta see this!"

She let go of Roxas' hand and ran around the collection of flowers, towards the altar.

Roxas chuckled lowly and took a step forward.

And he was immediately paralyzed.

Roxas fell into the flowers. Suddenly, his sense of hearing left him. His vision fogged as a soft, white petal tickled his face.

"Roxas?" Xion, at the altar, look around for her friend. She saw him lying in the plants, his eyes half opened.

"Roxas!" She cried, running to him.

She knelt next to Roxas, one hand under his neck.

"Roxas...what happened?" She asked, terrified.

"Xi...on..." He murmured, his eyes closing.

Suddenly, a burning pain erupted up her arms and neck.

She let out a whimper of pain and fell to lay next to Roxas.

Visions of digital blue shapes and whitish cells spun and pulsed in front on her.

The pain was as if her flesh was on fire. Xion could've sworn she saw some of her sleeve melt off and burn the flowers below.

"Is this...it?" Xion wondered as her consciousness disappeared.

The last things she saw before black were Roxas' dead, blue eyes.

X

Have I killed them? Maybe...maybe...

Coolboi12-Did I do ok?

Zigbon-Sure, I'll help you.

Everybody else-R&R!

Or else...:)


	27. Chapter 27

Hey guys. Sorry it's been a couple days, but I have been Christmas shopping (crazy people!) and stuff. Uh...not a ton happens in this chapter, but it's leading up to important things ;)

Disclaimer- I'm not even gonna say it.

Chapter 27

Roxas~

I was partially asleep.

"Wake up!" A high-pitched voice commanded.

In my surprise, I sat up quickly and banged my head on something hard and angry-sounding.

For some reason, I couldn't see.

"Argh! Whadja do that for?!" The voice yelled.

My vision turned on, banishing the blackness. Turns out I just had my eyes closed.

Sitting before me was a little boy, about seven or eight, holding his forehead and giving me a hateful look.

The boy was silver-haired and blue-eyed. His clothes seemed almost colorless.

"Who are you, and whatter you doin' in Miss Aerith's church?" He demanded, sounding much older than he was.

"You know Aerith?" I asked, utterly ignoring his question.

The boy stood and put his hands behind his head. "Um...no...but my dad does! She used to live here before...um...Jack, no Shack, no erm...oh Zack! Zack uh...Fair! She lived here before Zack Fair showed up."

I felt a little hopeful. "Can you take me to your dad?" I asked, standing as well.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Uh, no! Ever heard of stranger danger?"

With that, he ran off.

My shoulders fell. I sighed and looked around.

Yes, the church. I saw Xion asleep in the flowers next to me. I bent down and picked her up, not wanting to wake her.

I walked out of the church, the sound of my single set of footsteps echoed throughout the church and my mind.

Before I left, I turned around and whispered:

"Bye, Mom."

~x~

I finally found out where I was: a little place called Traverse Town. It fit, the name, because it seemed a long journey to get here from...anywhere.

A/N I know Aerith's church is in the Slums, but I wasn't gonna put Roxy and Xion in Midgar.

I walked around a little bit (mostly in circles) until I ran into someone.

I was going around a corner, trying not to bang Xion's head on the wall, when all of the sudden, something plowed through my legs, knocking me to the ground.

I managed to protect Xion, but my head hit the edge of the sidewalk. For a second, I was locked in a pitch-black room that smelled like old pennies. Then, I escaped to the real world where, apparently, strange figures dance in front of your eyes.

"Hey kid," one of the figured said. "Are you ok?"

I blinked hard and looked at the source of the voice.

It was a woman, with dark brown hair and warm eyes. She had a dog next to her, probably the thing that knocked me over.

"Uh..." I mumbled. She helped me up.

"I think I'm-oh!" I turned and threw up in the trash can to my right.

"C'mon, kid. Let's go to my place. You might havva concussion." She said.

I went to pick up Xion, but the woman stopped me.

"Oh no! People with head injuries do not carry around their unconscious friends!"

We started walking toward her house. Her dog walked in wide circles around us.

"So...who are you anyways, kid?" She wondered as I stumbled over minuscule cracks in the road.

"Uhm..." Give name to stranger that saved life? Sure, why not? "Roxas Fair."

"Fair? Hm, nice name."

We arrived at a place called Angel and Leon's apartments.

"I'm Riona. Riona Leonhart!" She proclaimed as we boarded an elevator.

"Leonhart?" I asked. "As in, Squall Leonhart?"

She nodded, pushing the 'floor 8' button. "He was-I mean is!-my husband."

I was about to respond when the elevator lurched upward. I groaned and slid to the floor.

"Poor kid..." Riona cooed.

After a long, painful, nauseating while, the doors creaked open. I trudged out and, lead by Riona, walked down the hall.

We came to a door with a number I was too incapacitated to read.

Once inside the pale blue-painted apartment, Riona carefully set Xion on the pinkish sofa and directed me to the kitchen.

She pulled an ice pack out of the freezer (why does she have those stocked up?) and instructed me to put it on my head.

"So, Roxas, what are you and your friend doing in a place like Traverse Town?" Riona asked, hopping up onto the counter.

So I told her. I told her about coming to Traverse Town and falling asleep on Cid's crazy tram.

A/N Yeah...I had to put that.

And about arriving at my mother's church and passing out inexplicably. About the silver haired boy and carrying Xion back here.

"Wow," She said. "But uh...you haven't told me your friend's name."

Oops.

"Yeah...her name's Xion Strife." I told her.

She stared at me.

"St-Strife? Like...Cloud Strife?" Riona choked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Cloud's...her dad."

*blinkblink*

"Squall..." She whispered.

"Yeah...he...Cloud found him." I said. Even though, really, Squall found us.

She smiled. "That's what...he said. Cloud."

I got up on the counter next to her, then regretted it because I hit my head on a cabinet, thus breaking the ice pack.

"Ow...um...why don't you come to Twilight Town, then?" I asked.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dog treat. She tossed it to her puppy, who was jumping up and down.

"I...can't leave Traverse Town." Riona murmured.

I stared. "Why not?" I wondered as freezing water dripped down my back.

"It's...I just can't explain." She replied, twisting her small hands in her lap.

She dropped to the floor. I followed suit and nearly face-planted into the fridge.

"I'll just have to wait for Squall come home!" Riona announced, putting her hands on here hips in a very Tifa-like fashion.

She smiled at me. "I'll call Cloud and have him come pick you two up. Kay?"

I nodded, took two steps, and promptly passed out.

Third Person~

Cloud was at home in his room. This was his last day off for a while. Christmas was coming and, being the only postal service in Twilight Town, Strife Delivery Service would get busy fast. And now...it was only Cloud who worked for it.

The phone rang obnoxiously throughout the house. Cloud hoped it wouldn't disturb Squall.

"Cloud!" So much for that. "Shut that thing up!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Cloud grumbled, stalking into the den.

"What?" He growled, picking up the phone.

"Is a Mrs. Tifa Lockhart there?" A snooty, British voice asked.

Cloud winced a tiny bit. "Um...no, but I'll take a message."

"Ok. Tell her there is an offer on the flower shop and to-"

"Wait, what flower shop?" Cloud demanded.

"Oh, the Centra Floral Shop." The man replied.

"I-it's for s-sale?" Cloud stuttered out.

"Um...yes. Who is this?"

Cloud hung up and was about to sprint to the flower shop when HIS phone rang.

"Cloud!" Squall yelled.

Cloud flipped open the phone. "Y-yes? What is it?"

"Hiya, Cloud! It's Riona. I have a Miss um...Xion Strife here. As well as a Mr. Roxas Fair. Roxy boy has a concussion and Xion is unconscious." A chipper voice told him.

Cloud was sort of frozen for a second. "Riona?" He asked as he walked into Squall's room. His friend was sitting on the bed, looking angry at everything, so Cloud knew he was ok.

But once his wife's name was said, Squall bolted up and stared at the irate-looking man in front of him.

"Why is my child unconscious at your house?" Cloud asked, ignoring Squall's hand signals to give him the phone.

"Oh, well...it's a long story that I can't tell you right now because you need to come pick up these kids. Ba-bye!" Riona added.

"Wait!" But she was already gone.

Cloud sighed and closed his phone.

"I've gotta go pick up Roxas and Xion from your wife. For some reason."

Squall just stared at him.

Cloud added: "So now's a great time to take you back to her."

Squall turned his back to Cloud. "But...what if...what if she's angry because I left? What if she doesn't love me anymore?" He inquired.

Cloud took a step forward. "Squall, if she got mad every time she left, she would be the angriest woman in all the worlds." He reminded the brunette.

Squall did nothing.

Cloud turned to the doorway and began to walk home. "Fine. But Squall, if you don't go back now, while you've got the chance, she won't forgive you."

He paused.

"I promise you that."

Cloud walked upstairs. His footsteps thudded loudly on the wooden stairs, them were muffled by the upstairs carpet.

Squall winced, like the sound hurt him.

He heard the front door open and close.

He wanted to go. Oh, how badly he wanted to go. To see his wife again. To hear her laugh and see her eyes sparkle when she said his name.

No. He thought. I'll only hurt her again.

And I will never do that again.

~x~

Cloud had been waiting in the car for several minutes, his hands on the steering wheel.

He had thought Squall would be up here by now. Maybe he had misjudged him?

Maybe he really believed Riona would hate him.

Cloud sighed and stuck the key in the ignition then turned it, bringing the old-engine to life.

Just then, Squall burst through the front door, opened the passenger side door and climbed into the car.

He buckled his seatbelt and crossed his arms over his chest.

Cloud smirked.

"Wipe that look off your face and drive." Squall grumbled.

Cloud chuckled lightly, put the car in drive and started off.

X

Lol Squall sounded like a little kid.

Guest-I'm glad SOMEONE recognized my illusion!

Oh and what Roxas said about his concussion was just what I felt when I got one. So if it sounds crazy...well, that's a concussion for ya.

Well...gotta go and keep shopping for my friends. 5 hours in six stores and I STILL haven't found his gift! Wish me luck.


	28. Chapter 28

Yippee! No more shopping! :D

Kay so, half of this chapter is a flashback. So...that's why the italics part is in present-tense.

Chapter 28

Third Person~

Squall, as if he was a pouting child, stared out the window with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You know what I don't understand?" He said.

Cloud didn't respond, just kept driving.

"Cloud, I don't understand why we thought it was a good idea to settle down. Honestly, what's the point?" Squall wondered.

Cloud looked at him. "Excuse me?" He asked, obviously confused.

Squall, upon realizing his mistake, shook his head. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Fine," Cloud admitted. "but what were you talking about?"

Squall's focus was once again captured by the window. "Why...why do we have families?" He murmured.

Cloud blinked. "Because...well...why not?"

Squall glared at him. "Because they're always in danger. Because it's pointless."

Cloud slammed the breaks. Fortunately, they were on a very old road that hadn't seen a car for years.

"'Pointless'? How is it pointless?" He demanded.

"Cloud," Squall said in an even tone. "We aren't human. We don't die. You and I are going to be twenty three forever."

Cloud closed his eyes. "Yeah...I know." He mumbled.

_Cloud stands on a stage before a crowd of strange people. To his left, Zack. To his right, Aerith. She holds his hand and draws invisible patterns on his palm. Squall stands a few feet away from Zack, not wanting to be too close to the trio._

_A young man with longish brown hair stands in front of the four. He flashes a reassuring smile at the nervous blonde then turned back to the jovial, brooding and angelic members of the crowd._

_"Welcome wielders of the Keyblade. Tonight, we are here to bring these four youngsters into our society." He sends a smirk in Zack's direction._

_"Squall Leonhart." He says._

_Squall steps forward, an indigent look on his face._

_The man reaches out and puts his hand over Squall's eyes._

_At first, nothing happens. Then, Squall screams and tries to pull away but a kind of magic holds him in place._

_The man lets go. Squall stumbles backwards as a bright flash erupts from his hands._

_The boy (Squall:Hey!) looks down and sees a silver blade in his hand. It has the hilt of a pistol grafted smoothly into a blade._

_The other man nods and turns to the crowd. "Behold! Squall Leonhart, wielder of Braveheart!"_

_Applause. Cheer. They are truly glad to have Squall in their ranks._

_The sort-of-stunned boy returns to his place._

_"Zack Fair!" The man calls._

_The black-haired boy bounds forward to stand next to him._

_"Sir yes sir!" Zack salutes._

_The audience laughs and one old lady calls: "He's just like you were Terra!"_

_The man, Terra, chuckles. He then performs the procedure on Zack._

_The SOLDIER knows better then to squirm or cry out, Cloud knows. But he can tell Zack is in pain by the way he digs his nails into his palms._

_Another flash. A Key appears in his hand. Blue and black seem to chase each other up the blade._

_Zack swings the blade around to test it and hits Terra in the side of the head._

_"Erp!" The boy squeaks. Terra blinks and says: "Erm...Behold! Zack Fair, wielder of Hero's Sacrifice."_

_Zack smiles wearily as the older weilders clap and walks back to Cloud's side._

_"Aerith Gainsborough!"_

_Aerith squeezes Cloud's hand._

_"It'll be ok." He whispers. She smiles nervously and glides up to Terra._

_Terra nods to her and gently placed his hand over her face._

_The auburnette lets out a small whimper of pain. It hurts Cloud to hear it._

_But then, Aerith's Keyblade makes it's appearance._

_It is white, with blue vines and flowers twisting their way up the blade. Two upside-down angel wings are curled over the hilt._

_Terra smiles warmly at Aerith and Cloud takes a subconscious step forward._

_"Behold! Aerith Gainsborogh, wielder of Earth's Defense."_

_Aerith goes back to stand with Cloud._

_"Cloud Strife."_

_"Good luck." Aerith whispers, smiling sweetly._

_"Cloud Strife!" Terra calls again, looking at him._

_Cloud hurries to his side. He feels a little nervous at first. Terra covers his eyes. Cloud was shaking with fear._

_Suddenly, a terrible pain racks his body. It feels like his face was being held over a huge fire. Then, it seems like he was being ripped apart from the inside._

_He just barely hears Aerith say "Stop! You're hurting him!"_

_Cloud can't stand this pain any longer. He feels something cool solidify in his hand. He doesn't know what it is or if it will end his suffering. He knows nothing except 'raise arm, slice sideways.'_

_The pain stops._

_Cloud opens his eyes and looks down._

_He sees two things: the black Key that seems to contain smoke wrapped in bandages in his hand. And he sees Terra lying ten feet away, a wound on his forehead bleeding a little._

_Terra stands up. He walks back to Cloud. The blonde suddenly feels nervous._

_'What if they take away my Keyblade? Can they even do that? I didn't mean to!'_

_Terra puts his hand on Cloud's shoulder._

_"Ladies and gentlemen," he says, almost a whisper._

_"Behold. Cloud Strife. Wielder of the Keyblade, Imaginary Hero."_

_There is silence. Cloud is afraid they are angry at him._

_Then, deafening applause. Cheering, they are cheering. For Cloud! The blonde just stands there for a moment, frozen._

_But then, he allows a small-very small-smile. He steps back to Aerith._

_Terra turns to the gradually quieting crowd._

_"There you have it," He says, smiling a smile much larger than Cloud's._

_"Four more wielders." He turns to said wielders. "Now that you have been accepted by your Keys, you will never age. Never die unless killed in battle. Also, you will be stronger, faster."_

_Zack is obviously liking what he's hearing. He grins and pumps his fists in front of him._

_"Yeah? Yeah?" He is very excited._

_Terra chucks. "Calm yourself. There are a few rules you must abide."_

_"Or what?" Squall grumbles._

_Terra turns his head slightly._

_"Or you die."_

_"Oh." Aerith squeaks._

_Squall just rolls his eyes._

_"As a Keyblade wielder, you must use your unique powers for good."_

_The four wielders stare at him._

_"That it?" Zack asks._

_"Erm...pretty much."_

"Earth to Cloud!" Squall yanks Cloud from his flashback.

"Um...sorry. What was the question?"

Squall rolled his eyes.

"Are you gonna drive or not?"

Cloud blinked. "Oh. Right."

~x~

"I can't believe it." Squall whispered in awe.

The stood outside Angel and Leon's apartments. It was raining hard, so they were soaked.

Cloud had the top of his jacket pulled up over his head, feeling quite cold and irked.

Squall, on the other hand, barely felt anything.

"She...never left." He murmured.

"Nope. Never. Now let's go!" Cloud dragged Squall inside.

The doorwoman stared the two men down. She had a dyed red beehive hairdo and matching heels that made her a total of three feet taller. Her make-up could've been all of Picasso's paintings melted and poured on her face.

She was truly scary.

"Wat?" She demanded in a nasal New Jersey accent.

"Um.." Cloud said, a little intimidated. "W-we're here to see Riona Heartil-I mean Leonhart. Riona Leonhart."

The woman sighed. "And who are yoo two?"

"Um...I'm Cloud Strife. He's Squall Leonhart." Cloud told the lady awkwardly.

The woman leaned forward until her and Cloud were nose-to-nose, forcing him to look at her cross-eyed.

"What kind of person names their kid Cloud?" She demanded.

Behind Cloud, Squall facepalmed.

"Uhm...I do not know how to answer that question." Cloud said.

With that, he spun around, grabbed Squall by the back of his shirt and ran to the elevator. Behind them, the doorwoman shouted profanities. She cursed rainclouds and fluffy clouds and clouds that came from airplanes.

Cloud shoved his love-struck partner into the upward moving trolly and hit the eight button so hard it cracked.

"That was..." Squall began, but Cloud put up a hand. He pinched the bridge of his nose with the other hand.

"Don't."

They rose a few floors.

"So...why did your parents name you Cloud?" Squall wondered.

Cloud turned and was probably about to knock Squall's lights out, when the doors screeched open.

Squall darted out and Cloud trudged behind him.

The brunette sprinted down the hall to door eight.

He placed his hand on the shiny doorknob. Then, took it away and examined the worn brass.

Sure enough, carved into the knob by a rusty pocket knife, were the letters:

SL+RH

Squall smiled a little and rubbed his thumb over the message.

Then the door swung open and hit Squall in the face. He flew backwards and hit the wall. His vision went to black.

"Squallie!" A voice (such a beautiful voice to Squall) squealed.

Riona tackled him and snuggled into his arms.

"Squallie..." She whispered, tears leaking out of her eyes.

"I missed you."

Squall was surprised, but then he pulled her to his chest.

"I'm sorry Riona." He murmured. "I...thought I would never see you again."

She looked into his eyes. "I never doubted you. Not once."

Squall knit his brows. "What do you mean?"

"I always knew you would come back." Riona said.

"Always."

They got up, Cloud stood over them.

Riona beamed and walked back into their apartment.

Squall started to follow her, but Cloud grabbed the back of his collar.

"That's why we have families."

X

Well? Did I do ok? I wanted to incorporate some uh...Liona? Yeah...that'll work. Oh, quick explanation: The Keyblader immortality thing was the reason Squall never had to eat or sleep or anything. Not because of Naminé like I originally planned.

Oh and you'll find out why Zack and Aerith got married instead of Cloud and Aerith later.

See ya.


	29. Chapter 29

Come on guys! I only got one review! (Thanks Shadowdragon1317!) But on the bright side, a guest named Koko reviewed on my new story! I think that's a book...

And I finally found the perfect gift: a deck of cards!

...he's a weirdo he'll love it.

Anywayz...

Warning: this chapter is full of INSANITY!

Disclaimer: Do I own anything?

...

Nope, didn't think so.

Chapter 29

Third Person~

Cloud gazed upon the scene in front of him, wondering how it happened.

Xion was lying, obviously unconscious, on an overstuffed pink couch that looked like a giant shrimp that had been stabbed. Said dead shrimp was in the living room.

Riona was on top of the refrigerator, poking at the ceiling with a lime green drumstick. Then, she poked too hard and the drumstick stuck in the plaster.

Squall was sitting on the counter, drinking a can of coconut water. He finished it when the stick stuck in the ceiling and grumbled "There. Done."

Roxas lay on the floor, his head in a puddle of water. A gash on the back of his head leaked enough blood to color both his hair and the puddle a bright red.

Cloud began chalking up explanations for the odd events.

Riona-on-fridge-explanation:

She saw a giant spider and snatched the blinding drumstick from Roxas' pocket and climbed onto the icebox. From there, she hacked at the ceiling and eventually got the stick lodged up there.

Squall-drinking-coconut-water-explanation:

Riona took one look at Squall's many cuts, bruises and burns and shoved him into the kitchen (this was before the spider incident). From there she pulled a very dusty looking can out of the inexplicably blood stained cabinet. Riona then gave it to Squall, telling him it would speed up his healing process. When he refused, she told him if he didn't drink it, she would pants him in front of Seifer Almasy.

Roxas-in-the-puddle-of-blood-and-water-explanation:

Uh...it doesn't quite exist yet.

Xion-passed-out-on-the-giant-dead-shrimp-I-mean-couch-explanation:

Cloud was about to find out.

"Excuse me." He said.

Riona looked down from her perch and Squall just tossed the blue can at the trash bin.

"May I ask why my daughter is unconscious on your lovely pink couch?"

"Ohhh!" Riona smiled. "I don't know."

Cloud just sort of stared at her.

"When I found Roxy he was carrying her." She explained shrugging.

Cloud tugged his fingers through his hair, a sure sign he was agitated.

"Ok, ok...um...why is Roxas asleep in a pool of blood?" He wondered bluntly.

"I can answer this one!" Riona cheered.

"Well," She began. "He fell and hit his head on the edge of the sidewalk and got a concussion. Then he hit his head on the counter." She said pointing at the blood on the cabinet. "And then...his ice bag broke and he passed out and the concoction of blood and water created that bright red liquid that is dying his hair."

Cloud took a deep breath. Then his 'dad' instincts kicked in.

He found a towel in the bathroom and used it to dry off most of Roxas' head. Then Cloud knelt by Roxas and gently woke him up.

"Em..." The boy murmured as sleep left him.

Cloud draped the towel over Roxas' shoulders and walked into the living room.

He pick up his daughter (you shoulda heard the incredible creak that thing let out when the only person that had touched it in three years left it) and carried her back to the kitchen.

Roxas, still sitting like an idiot on the tile floor, looked like a child with his legs splayed out in front of him, his hands folded in his lap.

"C'mon Rox." Cloud said softly, looking down at him.

Roxas pulled himself up.

"Leaving already?" Riona pouted, hopping down from the refrigerator.

"Yes." Cloud replied. "I'm taking Xion to the doctor, now."

Riona smiled again. "Well...ok."

With that, Cloud left. Roxas was about to follow him but Riona ran up and nearly choked him to death in an iron hug.

When the Strifes and the Fair boy were gone, Riona grinned at Squall. She stepped up to him and slipped her hand into his back pocket.

"Love you Squallie." She mumbled.

~x~

Roxas~

I sat in the passenger seat of Cloud's car. Xion lay in the back, still asleep/unconscious.

I looked at Cloud. He seemed...I don't know...like all his defenses were up and he wasn't gonna let anyone in under any circumstances.

But...it was worth a shot.

"Cloud..?" I said quietly.

"What...what's going on?"

At first, he didn't answer and I wondered if he was angry or he didn't hear.

Then:

"A lot of things, Roxas. Be more specific."

I had to think a little. "Why did Tifa leave? Why has Xion been falling asleep so much? What is a Keyblade for?"

Silence. In my anxiety, I started jabbing my finger into the side of the old black seat.

"Tifa left because...she thinks I still love Aerith."

It's a good thing I hadn't been driving. If I was, I would've hit the breaks so hard my foot would be stuck in the floor.

"What?" I gasped.

Cloud winced a little and shifted his hands on the steering wheel.

"Aerith and I used to...um...date, I guess."

A/N Lol it's fun to write Cloud as an awkward dad :P

I continued to stare.

"Date...?" I'll be speaking in one-syllable sentences for a while.

"Yeah...when we were...younger." He seemed both embarrassed and sad at the same time.

"But..." Thankfully, Cloud was more than fluent when it came to confused, uncomfortable teenage conversing.

"Yeah, I know. We...broke up...about a year before you and Kairi were born." He explained.

"In fact, when you guys were...two I think, Zack beat me up because he thought you were mine." He laughed quietly.

Ok, imagine your best friend's dad says he used to date your mother.

Throwing up yet? No? Well, then imagine if her dad told you there was a possibility you were HIS kid?

How bout now? Yep, that's what I thought.

Then, I was once again able to speak in complete sentences (aren't you all proud?) and said:

"Why did you guys break up?" Not that I think they should've stayed together.

Cloud didn't seem to wanna answer that one.

"Let me think about it Roxas." Cloud said.

I'm pretty sure I adopted the art of Cloud-language from my mother, because the second he said that, I knew he meant "It's hard to talk about I'll tell you when the probability of my daughter dying isn't so high."

Speaking of Xion, time for question two:

"Ok. Why has Xion been falling asleep so much, then?"

The car, I noticed, sped up quite a bit at that point.

"I don't know." Cloud answered.

Liar. I thought. He doesn't know I see him grinding his teeth...

I wanted to push him for information, but I knew my time was short, and I still had one last question:

"Why...what is this for?"

_Flash_, my Keyblade appeared in my hand.

Cloud stopped the car in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!

Some angry Volkswagen bug driver honked at us as they swerved to avoid the little black traffic block we had become.

"Roxas," Cloud said calmly. "Put that away."

I was going to hold my ground, but then Cloud gave me a "Kid, you will be getting well acquainted with the road if you don't put your friggin Key away" look and I reluctantly obeyed.

The car assumed motion. "Roxas...the ability to wield a Keyblade has to be kept secret. You can't just summon it in the middle of the street." Cloud said.

"And you can't just stop the car in the middle of the road." I grumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

I looked down. I had created a huge hole in the seat.

~x~

Cloud~

We arrived to the hospital. I got out of the car and turned to get Xion out of the backseat.

But she wasn't there.

After a miniature heart attack, I realized Roxas was holding her and walking towards the hospital doors.

I figured he was mad at me. I barely answered any of his questions, and probably shocked him a little. I'd be mad at me too.

I sighed and trudged after him.

Roxas~

I carefully held Xion close to me as I kicked open the double doors of the hospital.

"What do you-oh!" The man (...T-song? Seeng? Crap it matters now...) actually showed emotion: worry.

"Help...?" I asked awkwardly.

He quickly called in a nurse. A blonde woman with green highlights sped in with a gurney and two male nurses.

One of those 'nurses' was Rude.

He ripped Xion out of my arms and set her on the temporary bed.

I stood there, a statue. Even when Cloud pushed through the doors and stopped next to me. I stared at the ground, my arms at my sides.

"Where's Xion?" He asked.

"Gone." I mumbled.

~x~

Cloud and I paced around the room. Because she was a Strife, they put Xion in the Sky Wing. We were forced to stay in the Gray Area.

A/N I changed the name of the Underground Ward to the Sky Wing. Sounds cooler and makes more sense.

After we had carved out a shiny path around the perimeter, Dr. Klaus made an appearance.

"Hey, guys." He greeted as if we were old friends.

Cloud stopped pacing. "How is Xion?"

Dr. Klaus rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Um...well..."

Cloud was across the room in an instance, holding Dr. Klaus up a foot in the air by his collar.

He looked straight into the scared doctor's eyes.

"Bartz. Tell. Me. What. Is. Wrong. With. My. Daughter." He growled.

"Ok! Ok! It was as you thought. She has Geostigma." Dr. Klaus...Bartz...whatever...said.

Cloud still didn't put him down. "And...?"

"Cloud..." He mumbled. "Put me down please..."

The distraught dad put the mousy doctor down.

"She...she has fallen into a coma."

My first thought:

What a terrible doctor. He can't keep people out of comas.

My second thought:

WHAT?!

X

Yes...she is in a coma like Roxas. This coma is very important. Very.

Um...there will be some Christmas-ness in the next chapter. Also some sadness. So bring tissues.

And when Christmas break starts, I'll be able to update a LOT more. So-:)

(Sorry. I have this weird thing and I have a hard time finishing some thoughts and sentences.)


	30. Chapter 30

I have to say this:

HAHAHA! THE WORLD DIDN'T END!

And also:

CHRISTMAS BREAK!

Ok, something weird happened:

After I finished writing the chapter where Roxas gets a concussion, I got one!

Now I have a bad headache and I feel like I'm gonna barf.

Anyway, I'm gonna bring a few characters from other animes and stuff, so be on the lookout!

Ohkeeday, chapter 30

Roxas~

The wheels of my skateboard thundered over the tan-colored road. I was on my way to the hospital, after a not-so-quick detour to the beach where I got pushed into the ocean by an angry soccer mom, pinched by a inexplicably green crab, and asked out by a purple-haired six-year old.

But that's another story.

I had a pretty serious concussion, so I could barely walk in a straight line, much less skateboard. In my first attempt to go into the hospital, I sort of forgot I was on a board and ran into the wall.

I lay on the ground for a second, then pulled myself up and picked up my skateboard (black grip tape and random silver and blue strokes on the bottom) and pushed the doors open.

Tseng didn't even look at me as I passed him, but he did call out:

"Miss Xion is quite popular today."

I stopped in my tracks and backed up. "Sorry?"

Still writing on that stupid notepad, he replied: "Yes. A boy about your age walked in and requested to see her."

"And you let him?!" The Sky Wing was forbidden to anyone human. So...was this guy not human?

"Yes. You see, his brother saved the world known as Macross and one named...oh, Destiny Islands, I think." He explained.

Who was this guy? Who was his brother? Why am I just standing here, I should go find out!

And so, I sprinted to the elevator.

"Come on..come one..." I murmured as the elevator dinged at each floor.

Finally, I arrived at the top. They had told us Xion was in room XIV, or 14.

A/N That was what the plotbunny was telling you all!

I just about knocked down the door trying to get in the room.

Guess who was standing there, talking quietly to Xion.

Thomas.

"Hey, man, what are you doing here?" I asked, anger bubbling up inside me.

He turned and grinned a little. "Hey, Rox. I was just visiting Xion."

'Rox'?!

He looked straight into my eyes and said: "Now there's no reason to be jealous." He assured me.

"Wait...I never said...I'm not-!" I stumbled over my words awkwardly.

Thomas laughed a little. "Whatever."

I swallowed my anger (somewhat) and said:

"So...according to Tseng, your brother saved two worlds. Right?" I was attempting to make small talk. Which I'm pretty terrible at, considering I haven't really talked in eight years.

Thomas sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah...when I was like, ten, he apparently saved our world from a fleet of alien invaders."

"'Apparently'? Weren't you there?"

He shook his head. "No. Our parents got a bad divorce. My mom took me and my dad took him. Then, Dad got killed in the military and my brother basically did his own thing. My mom died a while ago so my brother takes care of me now. I met him last month for the first time in six years." He told his story, almost sounding rehearsed.

Then something that sounded like the Star Wars theme song began playing, only this version had more trumpets.

A/N Think...Robotech theme.

Thomas sighed and pulled out a light green Droid Razar.

"Hello?"

I could hear the other person clearly, he was talking loudly.

"Hey little brother!" The energetic voice greeted.

"Hi, Rick. What is it?" Thomas asked in that calm-in-a-zombie-apocalypse voice, making him sound like the older one.

"Where are you, kid? It's six o'clock and it's snowing!" 'Rick' didn't sound angry, just excited.

"Ok, ok, I'll be home soon."

Then he turned to me. "You wanna come over to my house?" He asked.

I nodded. Cloud wouldn't care. We hadn't talked since we found out Xion was comatose, so he'd probably be ok with my temporary disappearance.

"Cool." Back into the phone. "Rick, a friend of mine's coming over. Try to dial it down."

And how is he the younger brother?

"Aw, come on man. Cut me some slack! I can't really help it, you know." Thomas' brother whined.

"Whatever. See ya." With that, he hung up.

"Well, let's go." He said and turned to the door.

"I'll be right there." I told him quietly.

He cocked his head to the side and nodded, then walked out, his black Reeboks tapping a little on the cold floor.

I stood over Xion.

"Here...I went through a lot to get this." I put the seashell down on the nightstand.

It was a thin shell that curled tightly, pink at the bottom that somehow faded to yellow.

Then, on impulse, I took off my necklace and quickly latched it around her neck and rushed outside with a quick "Goodbye!"

~x~

Thomas and I walked to his house, mostly in silence.

It had mostly stopped snowing, but a thin blanket of white covered any and all surfaces.

We were passing through the sandlot to get to the Tram Common, when Seifer stepped in our path.

"What's up, Mute?" He asked, leaning against the wall.

Then he saw Thomas.

Third Person~

"Well, well. If it isn't the Flying Ace." Seifer smirked.

"I don't fly numbskull. You got the wrong one." Thomas retorted.

"What'd you say?"

"You heard me." Thomas smiled.

"Hey, nobody calls Seifer a lumpskull y'know?" Rai said.

"That's numbskull, 'y'know?'" Roxas inputted.

"What was that? The mute can talk?" Seifer feigned surprise.

Roxas took one angry step forward. Thomas put a hand up to stop him.

"No duh," He said to Seifer. "it's obvious he can talk. But...I guess the obvious is too vague for you idiots."

Then, Rai darted (sort of) behind Roxas and held him in a wicked head lock. Roxas should have been able to throw him to Agrabah, but Cloud's warning about using his powers in public rang in his head, so he just played the part of the weak fifteen year old.

Seifer grabbed Thomas' collar and reared his fist back to punch him in the face.

But at the very last second, Thomas held up his hand to stop the blow.

"Little trick my 'Flying Ace' brother taught me." He smirked.

Behind them, Roxas had called just a little on his super strength and was holding the buff Rai in the air by his ankle.

Then, chaos broke lose.

Rai (stupidly) grabbed Roxas' shirt and pulled them both to the ground.

Thomas, having gotten a bit distracted by the scene, was thrown across the lot. He quickly got up and kicked the opposing blonde in the gut.

Rai was pinning Roxas to the ground and attempting to break his face with his fist. But, he missed every time and hit the ground instead. Eventually breaking all the bones in his right hand. Snow melted and soaked into the back of Roxas' clothes, freezing him.

Seifer and Thomas were in an all-out fist fight. Seifer had an advantage with superior strength, but Thomas was out smarting him.

Things would've gotten very bad if not for the couple of redheads walking in on the fight.

"Whoa, whoa, ankle biters!" Axel waved his arms around.

"Yeah, break it up!" Lea crossed his arms.

The four paused like this:

Rai was on the ground. Roxas had one foot on his back, one hand holding Rai's ankle.

Seifer froze with a hand around Thomas' neck, Thomas froze twisting Seifer's other arm.

"Now, now children. Play nice." Lea and Axel said in unison.

~x~

Roxas~

After a looong walk where I tripped over a flower, almost got hit by a FedEx truck, and passed out about five times, we arrived at a small house.

It was painted blue, with white shutters that probably worked, unlike all the other houses in Twilight Town. A white and red 1969 mustang was parked in the driveway.

We walked up the stone path to the door, which was wide open. Rock music floated from somewhere in the house.

"Rick..." Thomas muttered exasperatedly.

We pass through the doorway into a hall.

The rock music poured from another open door to my right.

Upon entering said room, which turned out to be a garage, I saw a guy in his late teens, with wild dark brown hair and fair skin, leaning over the open hood of something that looked like a mini fighter-jet, the same colors of the car in front if the garage.

He must have heard us come in (somehow), because in the next second, he looked over to us and beamed.

"Hi guys!" The older boy chirped. Black grease was smeared all over his face like war paint, making his pale blue eyes look even brighter.

He walked up to me and held out his hand. "Hiya, I'm Rick! Rick Hunter."

After wasting three seconds staring at him thinking 'is he for real?' I extended my arm and shook his hand.

"Roxas Fair." I said.

Rick nodded, still smiling. "Neat."

He glanced at an old watch which had several cracks spiderwebbed across it.

"Gee whiz, look at the time! I gotta get to Lisa's birthday party!" Rick cried.

"Lisa is having a birthday party?" Thomas asked, seeming surprised.

Rick pulled on a (this will blow your mind) white and red jacket.

"Well...she doesn't know about it yet." The former-pilot replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So...if she kills you, can I have your plane?" Thomas asked.

"No way little brother! You can have my car, but not my baby." Rick patted the hood affectionately.

"Fine." The younger one relented.

Rick grinned and patted his head, causing the boy to grumble: "Why is everyone touching my head?"

His brother laughed and ran out.

"Does...does he always talk like he's in an eighties sitcom?" I asked awkwardly.

Thomas covered his face with his hands. "Yes."

~x~

After three hours of facepalming, laughing, groaning, and sweatdropping through the first season of Cyborg 009, I told Thomas thanks and that it was 'neat' (and watched him bang his forehead on the table) I went home.

It was snowing heavily, blinding me. Thankfully, the walk wasn't very long from Hikaru road (A/N Get it?) to Cumulus drive.

I finally got to the house. The door was unlocked. I pushed it open.

"Cloud...?" I called, getting a bad feeling.

In the living room, I walked into a strange sight:

A Christmas tree.

It was completely decorated with tinsel and popcorn and darkened lights. Homemade ornaments adorned the branches, little paper snowflakes and miniature pictures of Cloud and Xion and Tifa.

But something was missing.

A large white star covered in silver dust and sparkles sat on an end table next to the couch. A piece of paper was stuck to the front.

A note.

I plucked it gently from the tree topper and began silently reading the sharp, messy writing.

_Roxas,_

_ If you are reading this, it means I'm gone. I didn't commit suicide or anything. AVALANCHE finally got me._

_Let me explain some things to you:_

_You (as you already know) are a Keyblade wielder, and Keyblade wielders live forever. Well...sort of._

_Both of your parents were Key wielders. So am-was-I and so is Squall. He is the last of the original Keyblade heroes._

_Also, you are one-half SOLDIER and one-half Centra._

_Your mother was a Centra. That was a race of people that were born to protect the Earth and all it's inhabitants._

_Your father was a SOLDIER. That was a race of people that were born to fight._

_Both of your parents were Key wielders. A Keyblade is a weapon of darkness and light created for the heroes and villains._

_You are special Roxas._

_I have a request. My last one, I suppose._

_Xion will get her Keyblade when she wakes up._

_When this happens, erase her memory. You will know how when the time comes._

_She will forget you. She'll think she's a normal girl with normal parents (that will arrange itself)._

"I'm sorry, Roxas, but it has to be done." I mumbled.

"Cloud." I crumpled up the paper and threw it at the wall.

"Cloud!" I yelled, beginning my search of the house.

I looked downstairs and in his room and in mine.

I stormed back into the living room.

"CLOUD!" I screamed. "COME OUT YOU COWARD!"

I stormed outside. It was no longer snowing, but it was dark and cold.

"YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME WITH THIS CRAP!"

Then, even through the blood pounding in my ears, I heard a soft:

"Sorry..."

I looked around.

"...Cloud...?" I whispered, my voice raspy from shouting.

There! He lay next to the tree line, the snow around him dyed red.

I ran over and knelt beside him.

"Cloud!" I gasped.

He reached up and brushed a bloodstained lock of hair out of his eyes.

"Hey, kid..." Cloud managed. It seemed difficult for him to speak. It seemed difficult for him to keep his eyes open, to breath.

"W-what happened?"

"Battle to the death. Me and...Elfé." He murmured.

"To the death? But..."

Cloud nodded. "I know. I killed her. But I'd sustained too many injuries."

"B-but...the note.." Thisisn'thappeningthisisn'thappening.

"I...used my...powers to..." Slipping...he's slipping...

"Cloud...you can't..." I began. But then I realized he was.

So instead: "Marlene and Denzel want you to know it wasn't your fault. Dad owes you three hundred forty-eight munny. Xion got a D on her math test. Tifa is naturally blonde. Riona broke your motorcycle. Squall killed your hamster in third grade." I went prattling on every secret I'd been told about Cloud.

It's funny what people will tell the kid that can't talk.

He stared at me. "Um...well...it's good to know all that."

Cloud smiled, then looked up at the beautiful, star-filled sky.

"Aerith..." He mumbled.

There was a flash. I was completely blind for a moment. Only...instead of endless black, I saw an eternity of white.

I thought I smelt flowers and vanilla in that moment, when my eyes were readjusting.

Cloud was gone.

No blood, no footprints. I looked around and, in my rush, nearly crushed the white flower by my feet.

_Pick it..._

I thought I heard a voice say. I spun around in a circle, trying to find the source.

Finally, I came to my senses and picked the flower.

Carefully, carefully, I took it to the house, filled a vase with water and left the plant on the dining room table.

I walked into the living room. The star still sat on the end table.

Unlit.

Dark.

Dead.

I picked it up and climbed on the couch armrest, poking up on my toes to put the star on the branch that stuck up.

I hopped down and grabbed the green chord at the bottom and plugged it in.

I stood back an admired the twinkling, sparkling, shining tree.

"Merry Christmas." I whispered.

X

Thank the Good Lord, I'm done!

Merry Christmas you guys!


	31. Chapter 31

Hello! How was your Christmas? To those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you a had a good, erm...Tuesday. I'm so sorry it's been like, a week since I updated! But you know, the holidays...and stuff. Hahaha! I got Dream Drop Distance! So obsessed right now!

Anywayz...chapter 31! Oh btw, this is probably the second-to-last chapter!

Roxas~

There was no funeral for Cloud. No memorial.

But no wonder, really.

No one knew who he was.

I went around town telling people he was gone, asking who his parents were so I could call them. All I earned were confused looks and "Who's that?"s as well as a couple of "Back off ya hippy!"s.

I walked around the house, not really trying to accomplish much at all.

It was Christmas day.

I walked past Cloud's room, with it's door open. As I went by it, a glint of silver caught my eye.

I stuck my head inside the room, searching. There, leaning against the wall by the bed, was a sword.

It was almost as tall as I was, and the flat of the blade was very broad, at least a foot wide. I recognized it as the sword Xion held when they rescued me from AVALANCHE.

Suddenly, my will was not my own. Something made me close the two feet between us-me and the sword. This...whatever forced me to extend my arm, ligament by ligament, and grasp the handle.

It was very heavy, the sword, and difficult to carry, but I didn't really feel the strain.

I walked out of the house without locking or even closing the door, and got into Cloud's black Saturn.

I felt nervous, I couldn't drive! Then I regained my senses and thought: I don't even have the car keys. I'm not gonna drive.

But then I felt something cold solidify in my hand, in the same way my Keyblade does when I summon it.

The car key.

I stuck the piece of metal into the ignition and turned it. The engine rattled back to life.

Help...I thought as I shifted the gear to reverse, looked out the back window, and backed out.

I drove down Main Street, past Sunset and through Waterfall. The entire time I was shaking and, on the inside, freaking out.

What if a policeman sees me? Will this weird force talk me out of it? What am I even doing?

I was terrified.

"You should be." A voice said. It was sugary, but the sugar clogged up my throat and choked me.

I drove farther and farther out of town. Past the train station and the woods.

I came to a bridge. It was old, made out of dark brown wood. Freezing gray water with bits of ice shooting along rushed under the bridge.

No...no...I thought, realizing what the thing was going to make me do.

I backed up a little and turned so the car faced the side of the bridge.

I stepped on the gas pedal and shot forward.

Just as the front wheels bumped over the start of the bridge, my body came back into my control. I tried to break, but it wouldn't work.

I couldn't stop.

The front of the car broke through the wooden railing. The wood flew back and shattered the windshield.

I instinctively brought my hands up to cover my face.

"Ah!" I cried, as the bleak water came closer.

The car hit the river. The front bumper was crushed on impact, the tires popped.

The car flipped so I fell out, but I was trapped under the car. Using my strength, I pushed it off of myself and tried to swim away but the river was deep and the current was strong. The water froze me, straight to the bone.

I was swept down stream, being tossed head-over-heels and dashed against rocks and pieces of ice.

Cold. I was so cold.

I felt another pull and saw I was coming to a waterfall! I tried to grab rocks and roots, but my hands were frozen.

Then, I was launched out of the water and into open air.

"AH-AHH!"

'This is it. I am going to die' I thought as the cold water sprayed my face, but I didn't really feel it.

As I fell, I twisted in the air. My hand hit something hot and sharp. I looked up and saw a flash of silver.

The sword.

I tried to grab it, tumbling through the air but it was always just out of reach. My fingertips just barely brushed against the reddish leather grip and I went through moment of euphoria.

But then it stuck in the stone behind the water.

I don't know if it was fear, cold, or what, but I felt total and complete calm.

Did that mean I was about to die?

~x~

Roxas fell six stories to the water below, busting his back on the water. The impact caused pain beyond belief, not to mention shattering several bones.

The water was calmer, so he sank to the bottom, unable to swim in his condition. He tried to just float back up, but some strange force, the same one that had gotten him in that situation, held him down.

Roxas struggled, trying to break free, but only succeeded in scraping his arms on the rocky bottom and clouding the water with blood.

He was fighting unconsciousness due to blood loss and oxygen shortage. The boy knew if he passed out, he would never wake again.

"Xion..."

Her name escaped his mouth in a large bubble. It floated to the top and broke, the message echoed into the water and air.

Even though he was underwater, Roxas kept his eyes open. Now, strange neon purple spots swam around in front of him.

He heard several little pops and felt a weird, burning pain in his face and wrists.

The pain flared up, faded, flared up, faded for about twenty more seconds before stopping.

The pattern would have gone on for much longer, but Roxas fainted. The sharp throb in his arms and back, along with the fire concealed under his face became too much for the boy.

~x~

Roxas opened his eyes to find himself in a white...space. There seemed to be a floor, on which the blonde laid.

He was in a lot of pain, and blood leaked from his arms onto the white floor. He heard a distinct tapping behind him. A fair-skinned hand rested on the boy's right shoulder, immediately relieving all pain in that arm.

He turned to see his mother, smiling serenely down at him. Then, her face and her body flickered and she became Xion.

The smile stayed the same.

Xion pulled him up and began leading him toward a piece of white nothing. Roxas then noticed her clothes: a long black coat that reached the floor, a hood attached to the back. The hem was muddy and ripped.

"Xion!" He called. She didn't stop.

"Are you dead?" The blonde asked, worried. The girl ceased walking. Without looking at him, she shook her head.

"Am...am I dead?"

For a moment, Xion did nothing. Then, she turned to face Roxas.

"No," She said, her voice sounding like a combination of Aerith's and her own.

"Not yet."

X

Not yet...oooh...hehe...will I kill him? Find out in the next chapter...'till then, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year and all that jazz.


	32. Chapter 32

Ok, I am here to announce that this is the last chapter of Inheritance. Yeah so uh...

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or anything else.

Chapter 32

Roxas~

I woke up on a rocky shore, cold and wet. Blood leaked out of various wounds and onto the pebbles. Something sharp, possibly one of those pebbles, was poking my back. I sat up too quickly and suddenly it felt like the world was tipping over.

I closed my eyes until I stopped spinning, then assessed the damage.

My left arm was about ripped to shreds, bruises and and bloody wounds spotted all visible skin (and covered skin, judging by the searing pain under my sleeve) but my right was completely healed. No scars, gashes, scratches or sores.

It was perfect.

'Wait...' I thought. That was the arm my mother had touched in my dream.

'Maybe she visited me in my dream to talk to me.' I thought, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. It was pretty ridiculous.

I looked down at my legs and saw my shoes were gone. My jeans were ripped and bloody, dirt spotted here and there. Sighing I realized had to patch myself up before I died of blood loss. I ripped up the bottom of my t-shirt and wrapped my left arm up tightly. I figured I had a lot of broken bones, primarily ribs and such, but I couldn't do anything about it.

I stood up and saw that the sharp 'pebble' that had been jabbing me had been the sword, the one I had, for some strange reason, dragged all the way out here. I looked out onto the river and saw a white and red spot rushing along with the water. It was one of my sneakers.

"Argh!" I groaned. I picked up a rock and threw it as hard as I could across the water. It hit the opposite shore and bounced before returning to the freezing water.

Sighing, I picked up the huge weapon and started walking. The sword became heavy and difficult too soon, so I resorted to dragging it behind me, the tip etching a jagged line on the outside of my foot prints.

At first I was worried I would get arrested for carrying a ginormas weapon, then I was scared someone would think I was a terrorist or something, and then I was afraid a mafia would swoop down and demand I lead them for wielding such a sword.

But when that didn't happen, I started to get suspicious.

I ran up to a skinny guy with a brown ponytail holding a red baseball cap. Jumping up and down, I yelled random, senseless words.

Nothing happened.

I blinked and sprinted up to an old lady watering her garden. She wore a purple dress and had an orange cat perched on her shoulder. As soon as I got close, the cat turned and hissed at me, spraying my face with cat spit.

I smiled, hopeful. If the cat could see me (as it obviously could), maybe it's mauve-clad master could too.

"Um...hello, ma'am..." I greeted nervously. She didn't say or do anything. Then I thought 'maybe she's deaf.' I tapped her on the shoulder which wasn't occupying a hateful feline.

"Yes?" The woman asked. I was elated.

"I-um...w-where is the Twilight Town h-" I began, very excited.

"Yes...I agree Mr. Whiskers. The roses do look parched." She murmured. I stared.

'She's talking to the cat...not me...she can't see me...' I realized.

I started to run.

I ran down the streets, avoiding people and cars.

One time, I heard a loud rumbling behind me. I slowed down a little and turned around. My blood froze and my heart stopped.

Barreling towards me was a huge, blue truck. The headlights shone in my eyes, which I then squeezed shut. I threw my hands up in front of my face and braced for the impact.

It never came.

I felt a sensation like smoke was being blown on me, but it was somehow unpleasant.

I opened my eyes and lowered my arms. I became glad no one could see me, because I looked like an escapee from a juvenile insane asylum. No shoes, ripped clothes, I was covered in blood and dirt.

Then it dawned on me that I was alive and not splattered across the windshield of an eighteen-wheeler.

I turned around and saw said truck rattling down the road. I stood there for a second, then took off running.

~x~

As the storefronts and landmarks began to look familiar, I paused next to the candy shop. Exhausted, I collapsed next to the tan wall. I drew out a mental map of Twilight Town, trying to remember where the hospital was from here. I knew it was by the train station but...

Then I remembered. (Mostly) forgetting my tiredness, I leaped up and started running.

~x~

Pushing through the double doors of the hospital, I saw Tseng, behind his desk, writing on that seemingly endless piece of paper. Out of habit, (it's sad when something becomes a habit in a hospital) I stopped and told him "I'm going to see Xion."

With that useless sentence, I sprinted to the elevator.

Running down the 'white halls of eternity' (as named by Xion), I felt like the star in some sick horror movie. As I put my hand on the doorknob to her room, I could practically hear the thrill-seeking audience screaming "Don't go in there...don't go in there...No! You idiot!" While simultaneously throwing popcorn.

I took a deep breath and walked through the door.

Inside, as I expected at least, Xion was lying, fast asleep, in the hospital bed. An oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose, while a million wires flowed from her arms. I hated how she looked so weak and...vulnerable.

I cringed when I saw her Geostigma bruises creeping up her neck. I saw Xion everyday, but I never got used to it. Everyday it felt like I was seeing her disease for the first time.

I knew it was bad-the Geostigma-her arms were so covered in bruises, I couldn't even see the scars.

"Xion..." I said. "Please wake up. I know I made you wait for me but..."

I stood next to the bed, my hand hovering over her cheek. I got over my fear she was too fragile, and I would hurt her, I touched her face lightly, brushing locks of black hair out of her face.

She cringed in her sleep a little and turned her head away.

"Sorry." I mumbled, pulling my hand away. Did she hate me?

I sank to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest, leaning my back against the cold metal frame of the bed. I rested my forehead on my arms murmuring "Xion, please..."

~x~

I was in that place between the realm of sleep and the land of awake. You know, that place where all you want to do is go back to sleep. But something prevented me.

It sounded like a bell ringing, but not quite as...sharp.

The sound stopped, but a little while later (hard to judge time in that funny little world) I felt a gentle pressure on my left arm and then my shoulder. I heard a creak. Then I felt something touch my face. Really softly...like it was afraid to hurt me like I had been afraid to hurt Xion.

I woke up at that point and turned to my left, where I had felt that strange pressure.

I nearly had a heart attack.

Xion was sitting next to me, leaning on me. She tapped her fingers lightly on the back of my hand.

"X-Xion!" I choked. She looked up at me and smiled weakly.

"Roxas."

We stood up and immediately I threw my arms around her.

"Xion..." I mumbled. "Xion's awake..."

She giggled into my chest and hugged me back. I was so happy. She was awake!

She was awake.

We sat down on the edge of the bed, my arm was around her shoulders. I held on to her.

"Roxas..." She murmured.

"Yes?"

"Did I...?" She looked up into my eyes.

Knowing what she was going to say I nodded. "Yeah...for about two weeks."

Xion looked down at her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry."

My gaze sort of shifted to the wall. "Don't be."

Then I remembered. She was awake. I had to...

Third Person~

Roxas put his hand on Xion's cheek and turned her head so she faced him.

He kissed her.

Xion was very surprised, but then happy. Roxas was kissing her!

Suddenly, the knowledge of how to wipe Xion's memory flooded Roxas' mind. He touched her face and a strange coldness shot up his arm. Xion opened her eyes.

Xion~

Roxas was kissing me! I really couldn't believe it...me of all the girls in the world. I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

He touched my face and almost immediately I felt coldness spiderweb across my face. My eyes shot open, but I couldn't really register anything.

Everything started fading then. First, I started to forget my parents. What were their names? 'Um...Rain and uh...I don't know...don't I have a sister too? Where is she? Uh, Sapphire? Where do I live?'

Then I noticed the strange blonde with his face pressed up against mine.

'Who is this? Do I even know this guy? Why is he kissing me?'

I pulled back. He looked at me, sorrow written in his wide, blue eyes.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry...Xion..." He murmured.

'So he does know me! But...why can't I remember him?'

Roxas~

I put Xion to sleep so she would think this moment had been just a dream.

I touched her hand lightly, then lowered my eyes to the ground and walked to the door.

My hand on the doorknob, I mumbled

"Goodbye Xion."

~x~

I got back to the house and went to my room to quickly get a few things and then...well, I'd build from there.

I walked in to the bedroom and the first thing I saw was a long black coat, similar to the one Xion had worn in my dream, draped over the bed. Pinned to the chest was a Sticky Note.

"'This is all you'll ever need. Your new uniform.-Cloud'" I read.

"Uniform?" I mumbled, not even looking at Cloud's signature twice. Ok, he can write notes from the grave. It's Cloud...I wasn't too surprised.

I looked at the coat. The entire 'uniform' was actually more than just the coat. With it, came black pants, a black t-shirt, black boots and (this is gonna shock you) black gloves.

I didn't really get it-any of it-but, whatever.

I put on the uniform.

~x~

It has been a year since I put on the uniform and became a Nobody. I wield the Keyblade, Oblivion and protect the worlds. I grew out of my sarcastic remarks and somewhat short temper.

I don't really live anywhere, but I suppose Twilight Town is my home. And it always will be.

It's raining. Right now I'm just walking down the street, no danger imminent for the moment.

I see a couple, standing pressed to the wall of a shop. The boy takes off his jacket and wraps it tightly around the girl's trembling shoulders. She smiles up at him and steps closer, he pulls her into his arms. The girl has black hair.

~x~

Roxas watches the couple for a second. Then, pretending not to see the truly happy smile on the girl's face, he turns, pulls his hood up, and walks away. His footsteps echo loudly, and the rain is nearly deafening, but even through that, Roxas can hear the girl say

"I love you."

X

Wow. Looking back over this chapter I realize how emotionally crushing it was. I'm sorry Roxas! It was also incredibly stupid at parts. Sorry. Um...ok there will be a sequel, called Hero, Unknown. If you guys have a better idea, PLEASE tell me. Cuz that one seems a little lame.

Anyway, see ya in the next story :)


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